Lost and found
by Law-kun
Summary: RanmaTenchi crossover. Ranma discovers somthing about his past after looking through an old photo album which leads to yet more madness. DEAD.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even this computer, so all the characters belong to someone else.

Deep in space, we see a tall man with long blue hair and yellow eyes standing in a room. The room was approximately the size of an average sized house on earth that would become popular in a millenniums time. Around the room were all sorts of bleeping machines and flashing lights, the purpose of which was unknown to all but a few people in the universe, the man being one of them. To his right against the smallest wall was a series of pods, and in one of them was seen a tall, very female figure with cyan hair in a punk-like hairstyle and wearing a red and black form fitting bodysuit. She had her eyes closed and obviously wouldn't be up any time soon. The man was looking down at an 8 by 3 foot box shaped pod with a clear crystal front, through which could be seen a small girl with a similar appearance to the other woman in the room, but the girl had red hair and was a bit shorter. The man had a smile on his face that showed signs of not having all their sanity attached, and it was directed at the small girl frozen in the pod. It was at this moment that he made himself heard.

"Hahahaha", Kagato was in a good mood today.

He had finally done it, for today he had not only gotten his own back on his annoying ex-master Washu, but he had captured her 'daughter' Ryoko while asleep, in the perfect position to have her brainwashed to do his bidding. Washu's ship the Sonja may have had some of the greatest security devices in existence, but it was no match to his genius, not when he already knew how to deactivate them from his time as the bitch's apprentice.

God, how he hated his time as Washu's apprentice. She may have been a genius, possible the only person greater in intelligence than himself, but she sure was annoying. All the tests she had him do/done on him humiliated him on every level imaginable. Washu called it character building, he called it getting her kicks off making him squirm.

Now however, he had everything he wanted. Revenge and Power. With Ryoko under his control he could have the entire galaxy under his control if he so wished (which he did), and the means to get the ultimate source of power in the galaxy, Tsunami's tree. With that under his control nothing could stop him.

But the part he liked the most was Washu's face when she realised what he was up to. The look of betrayal, surprise, but most of all fear was what made him so happy at the moment. He'd treasure that memory for the rest of his life, seeing the great Washu Hakubi feeling so helpless was probably the single greatest moment in his life.

Looking down at her frozen form in her new prison, he couldn't help but feel something lift off his chest. He had the feeling that the resentment at always being second best had caused more pain for him than he imagined. Now that was gone. He was second to nobody, Kagato had gone from apprentice to master in this moment and he planned to savour it in every act he had Ryoko do for him.

"Well Washu, I wish I could say that it's been nice knowing you, but I'm afraid that I would be lying. I hope you don't mind me using your 'daughter' for my own means, for you see, I plan to make her very useful to me. 'Ryoko the space pirate' has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

Chuckling to himself at the possibilities he reached to the portable consol that had could easily run most domestic functions on the ship, including garbage disposal.

"Now no matter how much I would like to continue gloating at your downfall, I believe it is time for you to depart. I do so hope you drift around for a few hundred centuries before crashing into some Super Nova; I imagine that must be an incredibly lonely way to go. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of your 'daughter' for you", and with those words he pressed a button on the consol and sent Washu on her way. He was determined to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

He was startled from his thoughts by some movement inside one of the pods to his right. He decided to check it out, he may have resented Washu with every fibre of his being, but he had to admit that she hadn't earned the title of 'the greatest scientific genius in the universe' by being idle. If this was some type of security system that he had overlooked then he may be in a bit of trouble, depending on what the bitch had come up with this time.

He slowly crept over to the pod in question, preparing himself and his sword for anything. It would be a cold day in hell before you found Kagato unprepared for anything, short of a cheerleader shooting out giant hearts with massive destructive power anyway.

_Come on Kagato; keep your attention on the problem, not on scientific impossibilities. _

In short order he had approached the anomaly, and once he recognised it he relaxed instantly. In a pod similar to Ryoko's was a small child in a foetal position. At a quick glance Kagato determined that the child would be at about one year old, and was also male, with very short black hair.

_It seems that the bitch wanted to extend her 'family' by one. If that's the case then it is possible that the kid could grow as powerful as Ryoko is now. _

Deciding to see if this new development could be of benefit to him, Kagato set about testing the possible power of the infant.

Later

It seemed that he would have to settle for just one of Washu's children. The child in front of him most definitely had Masu genes in him, but most of those genes had not activated yet, nor would they activate without the set of gems that Washu most probably had in her subspace lab somewhere. He knew that they were not on the ship, he'd wasted enough time looking for them to realise that. He almost regretted sending Washu into exile now, the access to those gems would have made a very useful solider into an unbeatable duo.

Sadly it was not to be, the child would be stronger than the average resident of the galaxy, but not even close to the power that he required. The child was useless to him. Now he had to figure out what to do with it. The child's pod was in fact feeding nutrients to the child to substitute normal food. He knew from looking into the computer's database that the food consumption for Washu's 'son' was massive. A surprisingly large amount of energy from the ship was going into the process of maintain and growing the child. It could almost be considered a waste if the child wasn't going to be useful.

Kagato grinned. He couldn't allow such a waste to continue in good conscience. He would just have to remove such a project that was wasting such a large amount of energy. Deciding upon his action he activated a button on his consol and watched as the pod containing the child was sent out into space. He could just imagine the look on the bitch's face when/if she found out that he had exiled her son, only in an unfrozen state. The child wouldn't last for more than a few hours until the pod ran out of nutrients. His last thoughts before starting the process of Ryoko's brainwashing were;

_What's good enough for the mother is good enough for the 'son'. _

Outside the ship the pod containing the child was studying the situation it was in.

-Location: 7.8456 miles outside of the Base and rising-

-Contents: project 812656, codename Infant Beta-

-Conclusion: ejection from ship with short term energy reserves-

-Risk level: Red priority-

-Time period before situation reaches critical: 2.456385 hours-

-Scanning programs for recommended action...-

-Scanning...-

-Scanning...-

-Scanning...Scanning complete-

-Action recommended: survival procedure 11.58-

-Implementing recommended action in T-3, 2, 1, 0-

Once the pod had decided what action it should take it started the procedure that would keep its cargo safe for the time being. Setting about its task it lowered the temperature of the container and the cargo until it reached optimum conditions for long-term cryogenic stasis. Satisfied that its cargo would survive for the foreseeable future, the pod set its computer to stand-by mode to conserve power, while optimising a constant low power scan in case its situation changed. It would awaken its cargo if the pod entered a planet's orbit or was picked up by a ship of some kind. Until then it waited.


	2. Chapter one

A forlorn figure sat on the roof of the Tendo dojo, just like he did every night these days, looking at the tapestry of stars that decorated the night sky while trying to come up with an honourable solution to his problems that didn't involve seppuku. Anyone who was familiar with the situation the young warrior was in would have said it was a lost cause, but as the famous saying goes;

"Ranma Saotome doesn't give up"

Today had been pretty normal for his standards. Get woken up by fiancée number one with a pail of cold water (incidentally turning female, he had to wonder if Akane wasn't giving him a hint somewhere), wash up, find out he had to eat the latest in chemical warfare technology, and get mallated by Akane for the insult. He arrived at school and dealt with the Blue Blunder, slept through class, and at lunch was involved in a tug of war between fiancées two and three, with fiancée number one malleting him into the distance for being a pervert. After school was a bit quieter than usual, only having to deal with the lost boy in a fight where it was pretty obvious that Ryoga hadn't been able to keep up with Ranma's rate of improvement. While Ranma had increased his strength dramatically to that of Ryoga's, the lost boy had failed to increase his skills by anywhere near as much.

Once that was dealt with he had to deal with P-chan, who had mysteriously turned up, and was enjoying being cuddled into Akane's lap. Off course when P-chan bit him at the first opportunity it was 'obviously' Ranma's fault. Why wouldn't it be? That's how he ended up in the koi pond thanks to the tomboy. If that wasn't enough, then he had to deal with tweedledum and tweedledummer (you decide which is which) yelling about being nicer to his fiancée and the joining of the two schools.

Now he was sitting on the roof, contemplating the completely normal day he had experienced, so normal was it in fact that if he had told anyone in Nermia about it (the locals anyway) they would have just listened with a polite ear and moved on. After all, it was normal.

That was the problem.

When had this started to become routine? When had looking around every corner for someone out to get him due to his old man's mistakes, looking over his shoulder for some glomping fiancée to jump out at him due to his old man wanting a bite to eat, and looking for a substance which covers over 60 of the planet (he did pay _some_ attention in school) to avoid changing genders due to his old man's idiocy become normal?

_Gee, I wonder what the link with all my problems is._

Ranma was starting to hate his father more and more as time went on. He was constantly yapping on about respecting his elders, and a martial artist does this, and a martial artist does that, and it's not _manly_ to do the other. What the hell did he know? From what he said a true martial artist was a pillar of the community, someone to be admired and to uphold the law and be the vision of manliness (woman couldn't be martial artists, something Ranma had learnt a long time ago was rubbish since he had met Cologne). If that was true then Genma was a first class fraud, in more sense than one.

He was just glad they didn't look the same, and he prayed daily to the kami that he would look different at his father's age. The idea of turning into a Genma look-alike was to disturbing to believe.

Because of Genma's actions he had at least three fiancées, three rivals out to kill him, and a whole host of problems caused by his perverted master Happosai. As was usual with Genma, his problems were given to his son to handle. After all, how could a few more problems hurt the boy when he had others to worry about? Because of him the problems kept coming.

Ranma sighed to himself. This sort of thinking was getting him nowhere. If he was going to think his way out of this mess he was going to have to concentrate on the problem, not the cause. While the doctor would consider curing the disease then treating the wound, Ranma didn't like the idea of killing his father just to solve his problems, no matter how therapeutically doing it may be. After all, Saffron was an exception.

So he started his daily ritual of trying to find some way to keep everyone's honour intact. His first thought was of the Amazons. His thoughts were clear about them; he simply wanted them to disappear. Shampoo may have had a body from any man's wet dream, but he didn't like what was past the admittedly attractive shell. She had no problems with killing for something as stupid as loosing a fight, was incredibly obsessive, and found substances such as drugs and potions acceptable. Anyone who considered drugged love acceptable wasn't someone he wanted to get to know, you just don't drug those that you love. The problem was that due to some stupid laws of theirs she had to either marry or kill him, and if there is one thing amazons pride themselves on it is finishing a job.

Shampoo was determined to bring him back to her village, a village he could never be happy in. Men were treated in as much distain as women were during the most sexist periods of Japan. The difference was that now woman were (theoretically anyway) equal to men, and by law had all the same chances as men. The only thing holding women back were themselves, and people like his father. He had to smile at himself there for a moment; he would have liked to hear someone calling him stupid after THAT piece of thinking.

Moose was another problem. He was as determined to get Shampoo, as Shampoo was to get Ranma. The difference was that while Shampoo used glomps, drugs and good cooking, Moose tried to impress Shampoo at the same time as removing a rival by trying to kill Ranma. While he was difficult and unpredictable to fight when they had first met, Moose hadn't changed his style or attacks enough to be much more than an annoyance to him now

The most dangerous Amazon of all was Cologne; probably one of the greatest fighters Ranma had the displeasure of meeting. While she had stopped actively helping in Shampoo's schemes to bring him to the tribe, he had no doubt that she 'accidentally' left Amazon books lying around that had recipes for certain love potions inside. She would be the hardest of the Amazons to deal with, but if he could make her declare the marriage void then his other Amazon problems would disappear.

Ukyo was a different issue altogether. Because his father had stolen her dowry and left her at the side of the road, she had a valid claim of not only marriage to him but child abandonment. Her life had been just as messed up due to Genma's actions as his had been. If he didn't marry her she was destined to live her live officially as a guy. He didn't want to hurt his oldest friend in such a way if he could help it.

The problem was he didn't love her like a husband loves a wife. She was his best friend, and even that friendship was loosing substance the longer this farce went on. She was getting more and more desperate to gain his love, and it was hurting him to see his friend ignore all the clues he gave her about his feelings for her. He just didn't want to hurt her feelings by saying he didn't love her.

Akane was another matter. Sometimes he had a really large urge to get rid of all the 'I don't hit girls' crap he had programmed into him due to his father and just smack her one. She might start treating him in some other way than as a human punching bag.

When he (she at the time) had first arrived at the dojo, she had been very lonely. A couple of weeks earlier she had received a curse that changed her gender with differing water temperatures and had a some crazy Amazon trying to kill her. She had desperately needed a friend of some sort, and Akane's offer had seemed like a godsend. Then when Akane had discovered the curse all offers of friendship were withdrawn. It hurt, and what was worse was he was told he would have to marry her, someone who showed very little compassion to him whatsoever. If she did love him then she hid it well.

It didn't help that this was the one engagement that his father actually decided was legitimate. The two fathers had decided it was going to happen, and couldn't seem to understand why their children wouldn't want to get married. So they discussed this like the mature adults they were. They moaned, cried, used demon heads, and generally acted like five year olds. The difference was that five year olds aren't the heads of the family in most cases, so they don't have the power to back up the claims.

Nope, he definitely didn't want to marry Akane. Any feelings for the youngest Tendo had left him a while ago, just after the failed wedding when she left him to repair the mess in the rain. If he did marry her then he'd probably die of food poisoning before he reached thirty. Either that, or die when he insulted said cooking by having a mallet planted into his brain. She never understood him, never gave him any chance to get his side across. He may not have been as stupid as people thought he was, but it was because of his 'foot in the mouth' problem that made people think he was an idiot. No one ever gave him a chance to explain what he meant when he said something idiotic.

Well that wasn't quite true. The eldest Tendo sister did quite a lot of listening; in fact she was probably the only person in Nerima who treated him as anything other than an object. It wasn't unusual for him to help her doing the housework when no one was around to question his manliness. During that time he had made quite a good friendship with Kasumi, and they often talked about their day or about their problems. She had a good ear to listen to his problems, and she was always patient to allow him to say what he really meant. It was also great just listening to how her day went, a day of normalcy and peace that he sometimes craved for. It was a shame his other fiancées weren't as understanding, it would make his life a lot easier. He just hoped she could sort Dr Tofu out so they could get together, if anyone deserved happiness in Nerima, considering all the sacrifices she had made for her family, it was Kasumi.

Speaking of which, that was Kasumi calling him to dinner now. With that he leapt of the roof and headed for dinner with the Tendos before his father ate his share.

A few minutes earlier.

Kasumi loved cooking for her family. It was the time of the day, when they gathered round the table were eating what she had prepared for them, that they were a proper family, just like before her mother died. It was at times like these that she felt part of something, that she wasn't a background character to some story, and that she actually mattered.

Today she was making her favourite dish, prawn tempura with udan noodles with miso soup on the side. She had made this a thousand times already, and never did she get bored with it. As she started the almost automatic process of producing fine cuisine, she thought of the reasons why she loved cooking this meal. Firstly it was the first dish her mother had taught her how to cook. Admittedly she didn't cook all of it together the first time, nor did it come out exactly as she wanted it to, but it was still her first meal, and she would always remember the look on her mother's face when she had completed it. She had felt so proud of herself; and she felt that her mother was too.

It was those feelings that she felt every time she made that dish, she felt her mother's love and respect. Recently however she had felt new feelings surface when she had made that dish. Those thoughts were confused and disorientated, and at first she wasn't quite sure what they were. She knew why she was having those feelings; she just didn't know what they were.

You see, although Ranma Saotome loved food in general, she somewhat sensed that this was his favourite dish as well.

When he had first entered their house, Kasumi was at first wary if him. She thought she had good reason to be, before he turned up she never believed in magic, not really. Magic was for other people, something that can only be experienced but not described, and even then she thought of the most magical thing in the world was creating life in a woman's womb. In retrospect it probably still was.

However, when Ranma entered her life she was introduced to another type of magic. Shape changing curses, locking ladles, winged warriors, and even time travelling devices, she had seen quite a lot of weirdness in that brief time. At first she had been quite resentful of Ranma's appearance bringing so much disharmony to the household. After a couple of months though she soon changed her mind. Now she wouldn't have it any other way.

Since her mother had died Kasumi had been forced into the role of the homemaker due to the absence of her father, something she excelled in. Sure, her father was there in body, but in spirit he suddenly disappeared. The man she loved and respected left her to fend for herself at a time when she needed him the most. She still loved him and knew that she always would, but she had lost a lot of respect for him when he withdrew into himself.

When Ranma had turned up it wasn't just his curse that made her wary of him. He had appeared to be rude, arrogant and when he ate she was reminded of a pack of wide animals feeding on a carcass before anyone else could get to it. In a way this was very accurate, especially when you consider that his father would try every method of getting food from his son. She had soon learned that it was the outer layers that she was put off by, an outer layer that was created by Genma.

There were not many people on this planet that Kasumi disliked, but Genma Saotome was at the top the list. She never showed it, but under the surface it was there. He was a thief, a coward, a liar, an idiot and in general he was as dishonourable as they came. He was as different to Ranma as chalk is to cheese, they may have similar traits on the surface, but once you study the material of each then it was obvious they weren't made of the same stuff. Ranma wasn't a thief, in any situation that didn't involve cats he was one of the bravest people around, and even when Shampoo was kidnapped by the ghost cat Ranma still faced his fears and did what he could to save her. He couldn't lie to save his life, was one of the kindest souls she knew, and despite appearances he wasn't an idiot. You just don't get passing grades after spending only three years at school (and most that time he was asleep) and be considered stupid. He was ignorant, and he had a hard time motivating himself for any academic learning, but he wasn't stupid.

She had first noticed the true Ranma a couple of months after he had first arrived. She was hanging out the washing one day when no one else was at home, when Ranma walked up and asked if he could help her out with anything. And he did, at least a couple of times a week, but always out of sight of the others, and when he was in the company of anyone else he said 'housework wasn't manly' whenever the subject ever came up. It was understandable in a way, why he always pretended he didn't help out around the house. Everyone was always pressuring him to be a 'man among men', and that can be hard to do when you are cursed to change into a girl with cold water. Any sign of 'unmanly' behaviour would result in insults to his manhood, into his very being.

It was these times together cleaning the house that Kasumi started to realise that there was far more to Ranma than what was on the surface. And as time went on the feelings she felt when she thought of him changed. She went from resenting him to cherishing his company. He always listened to how her day was, no matter how boring it must be to him, what with what his life was like. She couldn't imagine why he listened to her day when his must have been so much more exciting, but she was grateful for it. And as more time went on the feelings she felt grew stronger, until they were impossible to ignore, and just as impossible to confuse them with something else.

It was love, love felt between a woman and a man.

Unfortunately it was not to be. He had so many other women after him that it would be unfair to him to burden him with yet another problem. Apart from anything else he was her sister's fiancé, and no mater how badly she treated him, Kasumi knew Akane felt some love there for him.

So she stayed in the background and just tried to stay as his friend. It was the least she could do for him for the excitement that was in her life now, she just prayed to the kami that he could find his happiness. If any one in Nerima deserved happiness, considering all he's been through, it was Ranma.

Her attention was brought back to the meal she was preparing, and was pleasantly surprised that it was done. Deciding to give Ranma enough of a warning before his father ate it all, Kasumi stepped outside to where he always sat at night to call him for dinner.

Meanwhile

Just outside Tokyo, in a quite area of the rural countryside, stood the Maskai grounds. The house itself was a wooden structure at the edge of a large lake with two and a half or three stories, depending on how you counted it. The sense of peace that resided from the area would have affected anyone who entered the holy grounds. Well, nearly anyone...

"Let go of my Tenchi you old hag", cried an unusual woman. She was tall, well built and showed off her sensuous body in a formfitting red and black bodysuit. She had wild cyan hair that looked to be untameable, and unusual pair of yellow, cat-like eyes.

"You're Tenchi? Why would he want to be with a monster woman like you, when he could be with a refined, elegant woman like me?" sneered the second woman, if you could call it sneering. She was a sharp contrast to the other woman in many ways. While also a woman of advanced stature, she was dressed in an elegant kimono that made her look like royalty. Her long purple hair went down her back in a series of ponytails, and she exuded grace and elegance. She was currently holding onto the arm of a nervous, sweating young man with black hair tied back in a pigtail. He tried to say something, but the comment wasn't heard. Since the two women were ignoring him, the author will as well.

"Elegant? Refined? Ha, why would he want an old prune like you when he can have a beautiful, sensuous woman like me?" saying this the first woman glomped onto the young man's other arm and tried to pull him away from the other woman.

"Ryoko...Ayeka..."

The two women ignored him, starting to try and pull the object of their affection away from the enemy.

"...Girls...can't...breathe..."

The tug of war contest got more and more enthusiastic, as each woman was determined not to show any weakness.

"...help...starting to...speak...in fractured...sentences..."

Oblivious to the situation their love was in, the woman continued on, nothing was going to make them let go, because to do that was to was to allow the other woman the victory, and that couldn't happen, there was no possible situation that could force them to let go unless the harridan on their love's other arm let go first.

"Dinner's ready"

Sasami's call halted the impromptu contest in an unspoken draw; both girls (much to Tenchi's relief) relaxed their grip on Tenchi, although not letting go entirely. In the arms of the Ayeka and Ryoko he was led to the dinner table to enjoy one of Sasami's famous feasts. Tenchi was just glad she was such a good cook, it was usually enough to avoid eating Ryoko's or Ayeka's cooking. They tried hard, but Sasami was just so much better.

By the time they got to the table there was a delicious array of food that could delight any stomach, and did on a daily basis. The other residents of the house were around the table already. Katshuhito, Tenchi's grandfather, was at the head of the table. He may have looked old to many people, but behind the seemingly weak and elderly body was the strength and skill of any true warrior, and one that could beat Tenchi during sparing in his sleep.

Next to him was Nobuyuki, Tenchi's father, who was at the other side of the table. The architect was going over his plans for some new project he was working on. On his left was Sasami, the little girl who had prepared the feast. The twelve-year-old princess was dressed in similar robes to Ayeka, but had blue hair instead of purple. While many would have seen just a simple girl, those around the table knew that there was far more to Sasami than many people would ever believe. Perched on her head eating a carrot was Ryoko's spaceship, the cabbit Ryo-Ohki.

The threesome sat at the table, and the two girls finally releasing Tenchi so they could eat. As they dug into the delicious grub laid out for them not many people noticed the missing member of the household, only one person did.

"Grandpa, you don't know where Washu is do you?" asked Sasami.

"I'm afraid I don't know, I would guess in her lab doing some kind of experiment like usual. She will come out when she's hungry" said Katshuhito

"But she may not know that its time for dinner, I wouldn't want her to get hungry."

"Hmmm, it has been known to for her to run through an experiment without realising how much time went by. Ryoko, could you check on her and tell her dinners ready"

Gulp, "Why do I have to, if she doesn't want to eat then there's no point in bothering her" replied Ryoko after swallowing what she had stuffed in her mouth.

"Relax Ryoko" said Katshuhito calmly, enjoying a bit of rice, "It's just that you have your telepathic link to her, simply tell her that there is food ready up her if she wants it."

"Sorry, already tried that earlier. This is one of her 'don't bother me moods', so she's blocked me off, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't advise going down there any time soon" replied Ryoko.

"All the same, it is the right thing to do to at least mention it. Does she know that there is even any food ready?" Katshuhito asked, to which Ryoko just shock her head. "Well then, it would only be the polite thing to tell her that there is food ready right now, so may I ask that you pop down to her lab and inform her?"

"Hey why should I? I'm eating here, and besides Washu can look after herself if she needs to." Ryoko cried out.

"Oh please Ryoko; please see if she wants anything to eat. I haven't seen her all day and I'm really worried about her" said Sasami, employing the most devastating technique used by really cute, young girls. The dreaded puppy-dog-eyes.

Sigh "Ok, ok I'll tell her already. Just stop looking at me like that!" Ryoko really hated that look when it was used on her, but Sasami did have a point, Washu hadn't been seen all day. "I wouldn't worry about her not being here Sasami. Like I said earlier, she's in one of her moods today were she doesn't want anyone to talk to her. If it makes you feel better though I'll go tell her, there had just better be some food left over for me when I get back."

"Don't worry Ryoko, we'll leave you and Washu some for when you get back" said Katshuhito, watching as the ex-space pirate entered Washu's lab. He too had noticed Washu's depressed mood lately, and hoped that it wasn't too serious.

Earlier in the lab

Washu's lab was a unique place on earth. Off course, it wasn't really on earth, but in some subspace dimension. The size of this lab was many times greater than the Maskai house, but no one (except Washu) could have told you exactly how big it was.

At a desk on the far side of one of the side-labs was a young looking girl, about twelve years old. She was quite short in stature with crabby red hair that stuck up at all angles, much like her daughter's. Her emerald green eyes, which were usually filled with mirth and cunning, were instead filled with sadness and pain. It had been a long time since the event that had caused her so much pain, and she hid that pain very well during her daily life. However, there were times like today were she simply needed to be alone for a while, to collect her thoughts and gather herself together.

In her hands were a trio of red gems, one bigger than the other two. Her eyes at the moment however were focused on what was on the desk in front of her. A compartment about the size of a computer screen with a glass front, inside the compartment was a large black egg that was balanced on a small stand.

Washu had been sitting there all day, just alternating her gaze from one object to another. She was so ashamed of herself. She was the greatest scientific genius in the universe; none rivalled her knowledge or her will to gain it. Yet despite all her knowledge, it wasn't enough when that bastard Kagato turned up on her ship. Her student had trapped her in one of her own cryogenic pods before she even had a chance to defend herself, and then left her in exile in space. The feelings of shock and betrayal shock her to the core, plus the disbelief that none of her security measures had helped protect her.

It was only a huge amount of luck that had allowed the galaxy police to discover her pod and bring her back to the shrine, where she was reunited with her daughter. When she had realised that she was all right she was overjoyed. It had hurt that Ryoko had been used to do all those despicable acts when under Kagato's control. But she was alright now, that was all that matted to Washu. Well, almost all that mattered, Ryoko wasn't the only thing that she had lost due to Kagato after all.

A beep on her left told her that she had company. Putting away her mementos of the past and hiding them from prying eyes, she looked on a security camera and cursed. Ryoko of all people knew what her quiet time meant, leave her the hell alone for a day or so and everything will be ok. She was definitely going to show her a piece of her mind.

* * *

Once Ryoko had entered her mother's lab she set about looking for her. She really didn't want to be doing this; she was hungry and knew that her mother did **not **want to be interrupted. Sasami was worried though, so she was down here risking getting Washu upset at her and using her as some kind of lab experiment.

In the end it didn't take to long to find her, Washu entered the main lab through one of her 'suddenly appearing' doors, and as predicted she didn't look happy at having her quiet time interrupted.

"What the hell are you doing here Ryoko?"

"Sorry Washu, I didn't want to disturb you"

"Well you succeeded, you knew damn well that I wanted to be left alone today" shouted Washu. Sigh, "So why did you come down here anyway? It had better be important"

"Well not really, see the others were worried about you and Sasami said that dinner was ready. She didn't want you getting hungry so I was sent down here to collect you."

"Your right, it wasn't very important. Still, I suppose it couldn't hurt to get something to eat since I was interrupted anyway." With that said Washu walked past Ryoko and headed to the lab's exit.

"Hey Washu, are you ok?" Ryoko called out to her. She wouldn't admit it, but she was slightly worried about her mother.

Washu paused slightly before continuing on towards the main house. "I'm perfectly ok Ryoko, there's nothing to worry about." It took Ryoko about a minute after Washu had exited the lab to snap out of her worried thoughts and remember that her dinner was getting cold. She'd find out the problem eventually, so she would worry about it then.


	3. Chapter two

Ranma was the last person at the dinner table by the time he had arrived. Luckily for him though Kasumi had waited for him to arrive before serving food, much to the amusement of Kasumi's younger sister Nabiki. The youngest of the Tendo sisters was currently sitting in her usual spot giving Ranma a glare as punishment for all the problems he had caused today. In her arms was her pet P-chan, who was giving him an equally harsh glare. The two fathers were sitting next to each other while being on their very best behaviour. The reason for that was Ranma's mother who was at the table tonight, holding her katana in a highly visible position.

As Ranma sat down at the table he had to wonder about his mother. She seemed to be more interested in honour than about his welfare. She didn't seem concerned about his problems like a mother should be. In fact, she was of the opinion that he should marry ALL of the fiancées; well actually he should marry Akane and keep the rest as mistresses. Somehow he didn't think that Shampoo or Ukyo would accept being second best in a marriage.

He wasn't even sure he loved his mother the way children are supposed to love the person who gave them life. Ranma didn't remember anytime he had spent with her as a child, and as such could not remember being given the unconditional love and acceptance that a parent gives to their child. Nodoka respected Ranma's skill sure, but as far as his manliness went he had to prove himself by marrying Akane. It was conditional love, do this and I'll accept you. Not the unconditional love he desperately wanted for as long as he could remember.

But if he could get to know her better then maybe the bond of a parent and child could strengthen and he could receive that love. He could hardly blame her, he supposed, for not showing undying affection for him; after all he turned into a girl for god's sake. Not only that but the 'Ranko and Mr Panda' act must have been a severe shock and betrayal for her. If he had told her from the start then maybe things may have been different, but there was no such thing as 'what if', so he would just have to live with his decisions and make the best of it, just like he always had.

Kasumi entered at that moment bringing in a welcome distraction from his depressing thoughts. What was he doing thinking of his mother like that? It was perfectly fine thinking of his father in that way, but his mother was a completely different story. It just wasn't done!

Once Ranma saw what Kasumi had cooked today he smiled to himself. He didn't know how she did it, but she was always able to cheer him up when he was depressed. Deciding to be polite in front of his mother, and because Kasumi deserved it, Ranma looked up at her and thanked her for making such a great meal. He was rewarded with one of Kasumi's rare genuine smiles that went unnoticed by all but Ranma and Nabiki, and a slight reddening of her cheeks (which only Nabiki noticed with a smirk, deciding to think of a way to use this new information later). He was also rewarded by Akane in a slightly different way.

"Stop flirting with my sister you pervert!"

"What do ya mean flirting with her? All I did was thank her for cooking this food, I didn't ask her on a date or nothing"

"I saw the way you looked at her Ranma, you were checking her out as if you were Happosai!"

"My, my Ranma-chan. Are you really interested in adding my older sister to your little harem? It seems four girls aren't quite enough for you are they?" smirked Nabiki. She knew what was really going on, especially when she saw the reactions of Kasumi and Ranma. She may have a personal debt to her older sister, but she was still going to have a little fun with them first, just nothing serious. "I bet your going to have Kasumi look after the house and children while you have your other mistresses see to your 'needs'."

"HEY! It's nothing like that. All I was doing was thanking her for cooking something edible, something that the tomboy couldn't do if she lived to be a hundred." Ranma was panicking slightly and started wondering what he had done wrong to let the situation get so much out of control. _I mean, why would Akane think that there would be anything going on between_ _me and Kasumi? There is no way in hell that she would have any feelings for me, after all she thinks I'm too young for her._

"Now you two stop fighting" interrupted Nodoka, "this is no way for fiancées to act towards one another. Ranma, there is no reason at all insult your fiancée like that..." Nodoka paused slightly to look at the smirking Akane, "...and Akane there is nothing wrong with Ranma having Kasumi as a mistress. Nabiki's idea is a very good one; Ranma is certainly manly enough to handle that many women, maybe Nabiki might like to become one of them, after all that would mean LOTS MORE GRANDCHILDREN!!"

A mass face fault and a strong denial from Nabiki later (she also vowed to herself to never bring auntie Saotome's attention onto herself like that in the future ever again) and the two families continued enjoying their meal. Soon all of the food was cleared away and there was nothing to distract the feuding members of the family from continuing their fights. Before any could start though, Nodoka decided to make an announcement.

"Ranma, since you were taken on your training trip a lot of clutter has managed to build up at home, and I was unable to sort it all out my own. So I was wondering if you could be helpful and come back home for the weekend to help tidy up a bit. I would ask your father..." SPLASH "...but he would most likely make things harder than they would normally be." Everyone turned to the spot where Genma had been, only to be replaced by a panda holding a sign saying #Pandas can't do housework#.

_Stupid pops._ "Yeah sure mom, I'll help out tomorrow." Hopefully he might be able to have a peace filled day tomorrow without having people trying to kill him for the smallest of reasons. It would also be a chance to get to know his mother. Who knew, maybe the experience could bring them together like a family should be.

"I could help out as well auntie; it would go by a lot quicker if there were more people there."

_Oh god no! If Akane's there tomorrow it'll be a disaster._ It didn't take much to imagine what the other fiancées would do if they found out about this cleaning up session. The damage done when they were there last time would be nothing compared to what they would do tomorrow. Not to mention that Akane would be a serious pain in the ass.

"Oh don't worry about it Akane dear, it only needs two people and Ranma's help will be more than enough. To be honest I would like to spend some time alone with my son without any of the local distractions around."

Relieved at the near disaster that was averted, and at his mother wanting to get to know him better, Ranma decided to avoid any more confrontations and went out to the Dojo to do some light katas before going to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day, and he wanted to be completely fresh for it without any more disturbances.

Masaki house

By the time Ryoko had gotten to the table the mood of the house had changed to match that of Washu's. There was a sombre feeling that penetrated the air, and even the ever-cheerful Sasami was affected. Ryoko sat at the table and ate in silence with the others. She knew it had been a bad idea to go and get Washu, but she had been persuaded to go and get her by the others. If Washu had been left alone for a few more hours she would have been in a good enough mood to not affect everyone else. Now though the mood had affected everyone in the house. When the two galaxy police officers arrived from their patrol she had no doubt that they would be affected too. Well, maybe not Mihoshi.

Now they had to put up with her mood for the rest of the day. In retrospect it might not be such a bad idea to get her out here. Katshuhito was enough of an 'all knowing grandfather' type to help her, and Sasami was always able to cheer people up when they needed it, and she had no doubt that Tsunami would help Sasami with her wisdom.

Congratulating herself on her great idea of giving Washu the chance to open up in front of the others, Ryoko continued eating her slightly colder dinner, happy that there was some left for her. She only paused every now and then to make sure that Ayeka was keeping her dirty little hands to herself and away from her Tenchi.

Ryoko wasn't the only one to notice the aura of gloom that the household had suddenly received. Tenchi had hoped that when Ryoko had mentioned Washu's 'quiet time' that she wasn't making up some experiment that he would have him as the local guinea pig again. He tended to like all of his limbs attached in the right place, it was much less painful that way.

However when Washu had left the lab it had been blatantly obvious that something was wrong. She had just sat down at the table and started eating her meal in a quite contemplative fashion. His worry for her rose slightly when he saw Ryoko come in a while later with a worried look on her face. If Washu's mood was enough to get Ryoko worried then it must be serious, Ryoko never got worried over anything mundane.

Halfway through the meal it was getting to the point where the tension was killing Tenchi. When the Masaki house was tense then bad things happened, and bad things usually came in the form of super powered villains who kidnapped someone for some reason, with a subsequent rescue attempt needed to save the day. Deciding to try and improve the mood to stop tempting fate, he decided to open the can of worms and get Washu talking.

"Erm... Washu-chan, there isn't anything wrong is there"

The look he received from Washu made him want to run away screaming to a very quite, safe place where he could hide out for a couple of months. He was actually about to do that before (to his relief) she looked back down to her plate and continued on with her meal. Tenchi decided to count his blessings and leave Washu alone for now, if only for his future health.

"You know Washu, if there is anything dangerous that is about to happen then it would be a good idea to discuss it with us. We may be able to help."

The glare he received was possible worse than the one Tenchi had received, but if Katshuhito had noticed it then he didn't seem to be effected. The shrine priest was made of slighter sterner stuff than his grandson, and wasn't afraid to face the ancient scientist (not that he would **ever** call her that to her face). All he did in return was to face her with a calm expression on his face; as if he was expecting her to answer all of his questions eventually, whether she wanted to or not.

After a brief staring match Washu backed down and looked down to her food. "There's nothing bad happening, so you guys can all relax" Washu mumbled.

"But Washu-san...um chan, there has to be something wrong for you to be so depressed" continued Ayeka, following on from her brother's line of questioning.

"Look there is really nothing to worry about, so can you all stop asking if there's a problem and start eating again" growled Washu. She knew she should have stayed in her lab.

Sasami decided to try and help her friend. "But Washu..."

"BUT NOTHING!! THERE IS ABSOLUTLY NOTHING WRONG WITH ME, AS I HAVE ALREADY SAID HUNDREDS OF TIMES. SO JUST SHUT UP AND QUIT BOTHERING ME!!"

Washu instantly regretted her outburst when she saw that she had brought Sasami close to tears and that the others had backed away from her. Cooling down her temper she started apologising profusely to the young princess.

Katshuhito remained unaffected by all this. Washu's outburst may have hurt a few people, but those wounds were small and easily healed. What was important though was that the barrier that Washu had put up between herself and the others had cracked slightly. He would have to be careful with what he said from here on in, but he may be able to help her deal with whatever was causing her pain.

"Well Washu, for there not being a problem you did react very strongly to Sasami's question."

"Look, I'm sorry for shouting at you guys, but my problems belong to me and no-one else. I'll deal with them my own way, you got that?"

Katshuhito nodded solemnly. "That is fine with us Washu-chan, although I think an explanation is in order hurting Sasami's feelings." The comment was enough to make Washu wince under the scrutiny, but Katshuhito continued as if he didn't notice. "You should know that if you do need to share your problems then myself or anyone else in this room will be available to talk too. After all as the saying goes, 'a problem shared is a problem halved' and all that."

Washu just looked down at her plate playing with her food, her appetite suddenly gone. After a couple of moments of getting her thoughts together she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. After a couple more attempts she let the barriers on her emotions go altogether, and to the vast surprise to everyone, the normally calm and collected Washu dived into the arms of Katshuhito sobbing like someone who had lost everything. Those that had recovered enough tried to listen to what Washu was babbling about, but all they heard through Katshuhito's shrine outfit was the odd comment mentioning how 'because of her he was dead', no one having a clue who 'he' was. Slightly confused about what she was talking about they simply waited for Washu to calm down so they could question her, only for her to fall asleep in Katshuhito's arms.

"Ryoko, if you wouldn't mind could you take her to her room? She will be more comfortable there."

Grumbling slightly at always being the pack horse of the house, Ryoko lifted Washu from Katshuhito's arms and took her to her room, hoping she would be alright.

Once she had returned the shrine priest addressed all of them. "It seems she has had a lot of emotional pain that needed to be released today. When she wakes up then we will offer a patient ear for her to talk to and allow her to go at her own pace, we are not going to pester her to tell us. Is that understood?" After receiving a nod from everyone present he continued, "Now then, I think its best if we have an early night tonight, something tells me that tomorrow is going to be a busy day." With that said he departed for the shrine, leaving the other members of the household wondering what the new day would bring. Tenchi was just glad that the tense atmosphere had gone; he didn't want to tempt fate and encourage any kind of unworldly problems.

Just beyond the edge of the solar system:

Meanwhile while all this was happening, a baseball sized sphere of black matter continued travelling through space in its hibernating state. The chances of it landing on a suitable planet were slim, but if it did then it would be ready to continue its mission.

Authors Note

Yes folks I have a bad guy, but it won't be around for a LONG time yet. Next chapter the Tenchi gang find out what Washu is so upset about, and Ranma goes to his mother's house to help her tidy up.

Just a word of thanks to all those who have reviewed my story so far. I often wondered what people were talking about when they wanted lots of reviews, but it's amazing what a few comments can do to inspire confidence in an author. So keep sending them in.

Just thought I'd mention that I have only watched a couple of episodes of Tenchi and only the first two seasons of Ranma ½, so if I make any blatant mistakes (e.g. saying Kagoto instead of Kagato, or Washu Habiki instead of Hakubi) then please point them out.

By the way, I updated the last two chapters to correct some spelling and grammar mistakes. Thought you would want to know.


	4. Chapter three

The next morning a beautiful sunrise appeared from the east, bringing a new day to the residents of Nerima. With the first rays of sunshine came the sound of several songbirds rejoicing the glories that were life and all that it meant. Today anything was possible. Today there was nothing that could not be done. Today was also a day where many people throughout the land would make revelations and discoveries about themselves that would forever change their lives.

"WAAAAAAHHHHH!!" SPLASH

For Ranma Saotome of the anything goes school of martial arts however, the day started out as normally as would be expected. There tended to be two ways of getting woken up, either Akane would throw water over him or his father would through him into the Koi pond. Either way, Ranma tended to start the day female.

"Pfffftttt, what the hell did you do that for Pops? It's the weekend for kami's sake!"

Genma Saotome landed on one of the rocks surrounding the pond where Ranma had the misfortune of being in at the moment. "You've been getting sloppy in your training boy. If you were half the martial artist that I am then you would have easily avoided being thrown like that."

SPLASH

"You stupid Panda, if I was half the martial artist you were then whenever I sat down I would destroy an area the size of Tokyo" yelled Ranma, who was currently pulling herself out of the pond.

# Insolent boy! #, flip ,# What did I do to deserve such a weak girl as a son? #, flip,

# Maybe I should trade you in for a son that will respect his elders. #

"Shut up pops, your getting a beating that you won't forget!"

So the daily battle over the koi pond started. Meanwhile inside the house Kasumi and Nodoka were busy preparing the morning meal for the household, Nabiki was draining her morning fix of caffeine, Mr Tendo was collecting the morning paper from the doorstep, and Akane was moping in her jealousy...err I mean righteous anger directed at the two Saotomes who dared wake her up on a weekend like this. Yeah that's right.

Anyway, it was then that Kasumi announced that breakfast was ready. This was the signal for Ranma to stop beating on her father (can't really call it sparing), who was sent crashing into the pond headfirst after a vicious roundhouse kick.

After squeezing her clothes out to get the excess water out of them, Ranma entered the dojo and took her customary place at the table. She ignored the frown that was on her mothers face when she noticed her current gender and dug into the food that was laid out in front of her after a quick thanks to Kasumi. She may be looking for her mother's acceptance, but she wasn't going to let her dictate Ranma's life to her. Over time she had gotten used to the fact that the there wasn't a cure for the curse, not since the springs of Jusenkyo were flooded after her battle with Saffron. If there wasn't a cure then Ranma was going to have to accept that she would spend half her life as a girl, and after a while it was surprisingly easy to accept. She would still accept a cure if one ever turned up, but the only reason for doing that was that the chance of her getting locked in her cursed form was far to great. She may not mind being a girl part time any more, but she didn't want to live her whole life as one.

Genma-panda turned up shortly after Ranma and made to sit down for his morning meal.

"Ahem, husband what do you think you are doing?"

# Nothing No-chan #, flip, # Just sitting down to enjoy your fine cooking. #

"While I thank you for you're comment about my cooking, I refuse to eat a meal with a common animal. If you wish to stay in that form then there is plenty of delicious bamboo outside that is perfect for pandas, only people are allowed to eat at the table."

Sulking at having to delay eating his meal and at the laughter that was following him to the kitchen, Genma headed off to change back into a human (or at least a close representation of one).

Once he returned, breakfast continued without anymore interruptions. Throughout it though Akane was looking around, as if looking for something that she had lost at some point. Eventually she gave up and asked the others for help.

"Hey, has anyone seen P-chan anywhere? He wasn't in my room when I woke up and I can't find him anywhere in the house."

"Sorry Akane dear, but I haven't seen him anywhere" replied Nodoka.

"Good riddance, the stupid pig probably got lost like usual" shot back Ranma.

"Ranma stop picking on P-chan! Honestly, getting jealous of a pig. Anyway he isn't lost, P-chan isn't Ryoga after all."

"Of course he isn't" Ranma mumbled to herself so no one could hear her.

"What did you say you stupid pervert!"

"Nothing you uncute tomboy!"

"Ranma, Akane!" interrupted Nodoka, "That's enough fighting, your going to be married someday after all so you should learn to get on with each other."

She then turned to Ranma, "Ok, now that breakfast is finished we should get moving if we are going to be finish tidying the house by today. There's no reason to pack your stuff as you'll be back here by tonight."

With that Nodoka stood up, and with her bundle in her arms left the Tendo dojo to head to her house. As Ranma stood to follow her, she was interrupted by Kasumi who had just entered from the kitchen.

"Wait Ranma, here are a couple of bentos for you and your mother. If you're tidying your house then you may not be able to use the kitchen to make any lunch."

"Hey thanks Kasumi, that was nice of ya" and with that Ranma left to follow her mother who was waiting at the entrance to the dojo for her.

After a couple of minutes Akane left to go to the dojo for some brick breaking therapy, and Mr Tendo left with Mr Saotome to go to the nearest bar. After all, it was never to early go drinking with a friend. All that was left was Kasumi and Nabiki, who looked like a cat who had caught the mouse.

"Why Kasumi, that was a vary considerate thing you did for our soon to be brother-in-law wasn't it? Anyone would think that you like him."

"Of course I like him Nabiki. He is a very considerate young man after all, and is a very good friend of mine," said Kasumi while clearing up the dirty plates.

"Oh, is he really just a friend to you Kasumi? From what I saw earlier you would like to be much more than a friend to him."

"Nabiki! I could never think of Ranma-chan like that. After all he's a younger man than me, and young men are so boring, plus he's Akane's fianc

"Ranma-chan huh!" Nabiki smirked, "I never knew you were so informal with him already. Anyway, now your just making excuses. You know as well as I do that our dear sister has no possible interest in him, and that Ranma is one person where boredom is not an option." If it was possible Nabiki's smirk grew even more as it took on a lecherous twist, "In fact I would imagine that due to Ranma's curse that the honey moon would be a **very** interesting experience indeed!"

"Nabiki!!" protested a highly embarrassed and heavily blushing Kasumi. She may have had fantasies in a very similar vein to what Nabiki had hinted at, but that didn't meant that her younger sister could broadcast them to everyone.

Nabiki's smirk turned from light hearted into a serious expression in an instant. "Seriously though Kasumi, we both know that you have feelings for him, and don't you dare deny it, though for the life of me I can't see any reason why, apart from the fact he's a hunk. So now you have to ask yourself what you are going to do about it?" Nabiki paused as she waited for Kasumi to say something.

"I can't do that Nabiki; I will not put any more pressure on poor Ranma than is already on him. You know as well as I do what his situation with his other fiancées is like. If I was to get involved then that would put pressure on our friendship, and god knows he doesn't have enough friends as it is. The last thing he needs is another girl putting pressure on him to marry her" Kasumi paused and after a moment added an after thought, "and besides, I don't think I could face the rejection if he saw me like he does Ukyo. She used to be his friend, but because she wants to marry him that friendship has been tarnished. He sees me as one of the only people here who he can trust to not exploit him, and I don't want to lose that."

Nabiki sighed to herself. _Oh great she's got it bad. Why does she have to make this so difficult for herself?_

"Your right Kasumi, I do know what his situation is like with the fiancée brigade. After all, for a while I was one of them remember? The reason Ranma resents this whole situation is that he had no choice in the matter, it was Genma who was responsible for the whole thing, with an exception of the whole Amazon mess, and even then Ranma doesn't have a choice in the matter." _Hook._

"Well, I suppose that's true..."

Nabiki continued on, not giving Kasumi a chance to think too much about it. "If you were to at least ask him then you wouldn't be pressuring him into a situation that was out of his control, instead you could simply tell him about your feelings and allow him to get used to the idea slowly. You could easily tell him that you weren't forcing him into anything, he would respect that."_ Line._

"Erm, I suppose so..."

"And it would be a real shame if he had the same feelings for you and neither of you told the other. A life full of happiness would be lost because the both of you were too scared to tell the other. Think about that." _And sinker._ With that Nabiki turned around and left the room before Kasumi could argue back. _My dear, dear sister. Sometimes you are as easy to manipulate as Ranma._

She hoped that she could win Ranma's heart, if he was really the person her sister had her eyes set on. She personally couldn't see why Kasumi would be attracted to a dumb jock like Ranma, but he was a good kid so she wasn't worried about her. If anything Ranma may be able to get her sister out of the house to do more than shop for groceries.

Once she had left, the only person in the room was Kasumi as she sat at the un-cleaned table, doing some heavy thinking about her future.

Masaki house

Ayeka groggily made her way downstairs on her way to the breakfast table. She hadn't slept a wink last night. No matter what she tried; no matter how many sheep she counted, she just couldn't nod off. Every time she tried her thoughts kept coming back to Washu's breaking down the evening before.

In all the time that Ayeka had known Washu she had never seen the scientist lose control of herself like that. It was quite a shock, seeing the ever under control Washu in her brother's arms crying herself to sleep. Actually crying didn't seem to explain the situation well enough, she was sobbing her heart out. The scene was enough to melt the heart of even the coldest person, and it did enough to slightly disturb Ayeka.

The thought that kept going through her head was what on earth could make the scientist break down like that? Washu's behaviour had always been slightly erratic, but it was either very brief anger or cheerfulness, never really depression. She wasn't sure if her erratic behaviour was a way of keeping everyone from finding out what she was hiding, or if it was simply a way for her to hide the obvious pain from herself. Ayeka wasn't kidding herself, she wasn't a good enough psychiatrist to make those sort of observations, but she had learned enough from the palace tutors to notice some connections.

Once she had arrived downstairs it was obvious that she wasn't the only one to not get a good nights sleep. Everyone had bags under their eyes of varying sizes, with the only exceptions being the newly arrived galaxy police officers. From the looks on their faces they either had a tough case while on patrol, or someone had explained to them what had happened with Washu last night. Speaking of which, she was the only absentee to the downstairs gathering.

As Ayeka took her usual seat at the table, Sasami brought in the morning meal and everyone started eating in a subdued manner. Even Sasami's cooking had been affected by Washu's mood, it was still good food, but it wasn't in the same class as usual.

After five minutes of eating, Washu arrived at the table and began to eat her meal. Instantly everyone else forgot their food and all attention was focused on the diminutive scientist. It was immediately apparent that she was in a slightly better mood than the day before, but there was a hint of depression that had yet to go away.

Eventually getting fed up of the attention she was receiving, Washu decided to do something about it.

"What are you guys looking at now? I haven't got something on my shirt have I?"

"Err, not really Washu, your shirts fine. Ahh...Not that I was looking at your top of course or anything like that, but ermm...oh hell..."

"What my grandson was trying to say was that we were worried about what had happened last night, and we were wondering if you wanted to talk about it" interrupted Katshuhito much to Tenchi's relief. Today wasn't the day to have his fun embarrassing his grandson, there were far more pressing matters to deal with first.

"Oh that! Heh heh, don't worry about it. I was testing a new compound that was supposed to be an anti-depressant a hundred times more effective that any currently available. I somehow got the formula completely wrong and ended up in the state you saw me in last night that's all. So you see I'm perfectly fine, nothing at all wrong me, nope absolutely nothing." All this was said with Washu having an innocent expression on her face that could have convinced the Russians that Siberia was a really nice place to go sunbathing in winter.

"Oh that's ok then. Everyone said that you were sad last night, but you weren't, so that means everything's ok isn't it." And with that Mihoshi dug into the rice in front of her. No one else was fooled.

"Oh come on Washu, do you really expect us to believe that rubbish?" said Ryoko, not believing her mother's nerve at trying to pretend yesterday didn't happen.

"Well actually, no I didn't. It was the only thing that I could come up with last night that had any chance."

"So Washu-chan, are you going to tell us what you were so upset about last night?"

"No Tenchi-dono I'm not. Like I said yesterday this is my problem and no one else's."

"But Washu-chan, you were so sad last night. I don't like seeing my friends sad like that" said Sasami.

Sigh, "Look Sasami there is really nothing wrong with me. There was something that happened a long time ago that did hurt me yes, but that was a very long time ago. I've learnt to deal with it over time and it no longer affects me. I'm perfectly ok with it now."

"I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with you there Washu-chan" stated Katshuhito. "Last night made it clear that you were having trouble dealing with whatever caused you this type of pain."

"Oh shut up Katshuhito! You're starting to overstep your boundaries. If you aren't careful I can introduce you to a couple of lab experiments I had planned that look at the aging effect of Jurians."

"Now, now Washu-chan, there's no need to do anything rash, heh heh" stammered Tenchi, hoping that he or his grandfather wouldn't be on the receiving end of whatever Washu had planned.

Katshuhito calmly took a sip of his tea before continuing. "You know Washu there is really no need to make threats like that, we are only trying to help."

"Katshuhito I don't make threats, I make promises" growled Washu

If you say so Washu, if you say so. In any case, it would be a good idea to discuss what has causing you such pain with someone. Wounds tend to get infected if they are left untreated, and depression can be seen as a wound to the soul."

"Please Washu-chan. We all really want to help you" pleaded Sasami.

Washu's shoulders slumped in resignation. "You guys really aren't going to give this up are up you?"

"No"

"Uh huh"

"Nope"

"Not happening"

"Meow"

"Affirmative"

"Oh yummy, Chocolate!!!"

Everyone just turned to stare at Mihoshi, who had discovered a chocolate bar that had been discarded under the table and was currently stuffing it into her mouth at mach 2.

"Mmmm, chooocolate"

"I think American television is having a negative effect on her" stated Ayeka.

"She is not my partner, she is not my partner, she is not my partner..." Who knew, if Kiyone repeated it enough times then it may happen, ignoring her sure wasn't working.

Katshuhito sweat dropped heavily. "Ahem. Anyway, I believe Washu was going to explain to us what she was so upset about last night."

"Fine! Since **some **of you have no respect for privacy," she gave a harsh glare towards Katshuhito's direction, which was completely ignored, before she continued, "I'll just have to fess up. I'm not going to explain here though, it would be best if we were to go to my lab" and with that Washu got up from the table and walked to her lab.

"But Kiyone, does this mean that there's something wrong with Washu-chan?"

"...she is **not** my partner, she is **not** my partner, she is **not** my partner..."

Nerima

The walk to the Saotome house was a very quiet affair. Mother and daughter hadn't said a word to each other during the whole journey. They had already passed the Nekohanten and Ucchans, and Ranma was really surprised that she hadn't been spotted already by one of her fiancées. Ranma didn't understand it; whenever she went anywhere in Nerima there was always someone bothering her for all sorts of reasons. Today however was different, she hadn't been bothered all day; well if you didn't include the way her father woke her up anyway. Ranma was just going to enjoy her luck while it lasted.

They had just arrived at the block where her mother's house was situated when Ranma's luck finally ran out for the day.

"Pigtailed girl, I found you! And hold, do mine eyes deceive me or has the foul sorcerer Saotome fled before my awesome might. Fear not young maiden beauty, let me break the spell that is on your person so that you may show your love for me!" cried the only person in Nerima who had a lower IQ than Genma as he rushed towards his love.

POW! He had only taken two steps before one of the two goddesses of his dreams showed their true state of affection for him by upper cutting him over the horizon.

"I can't believe that jerk! Is he going to get a clue or am I going to be doing this when I'm in an old folks home?"

"Ranma, is there something I should know?" said Nodoka while increasing her grip slightly on her bundle. The edge in her voice was unmistakeable; it was the same tone she used when someone wasn't being 'manly'.

"What? Oh god no! There is nothing going on between me and Kuno. He's just some nutter who thinks that me and Akane love him and he wants to show his love for the both of us. The fact that we both think he is a complete idiot is completely ignored by him."

"And this is the truth is it Ranma, I'll find out if it's not..." she said as she drew her katana slightly out of its sheath.

"Oh come on mom what do you think I am, some kind of pervert? I have no interest at all in Kuno-baka; it's all in his sick little head! Besides, I'm not interested in guys, only girls. The curse hasn't made me like **that**"

Nodoka suddenly reverted back to her normal calm self. "Well that's all right then. While it can be considered manly to have a following of girls to see to your needs, it isn't seen to manly if you were to join a harem of another young man's, no matter how manly he is. Well anyway, here we are, home sweet home." She opened the gate to the Saotome residence and made her way to the door, leaving Ranma at the gate wondering if her mother was a complete nutcase or not.

Saotome Residence

Ranma entered the house and took off her shoes before entering the house proper. Once she did so she saw her mother placing the family katana on the mantelpiece, before turning and regarding her son/turned daughter.

"Now Ranma, before we start I think we should get you to your proper gender. Your not a girl after all."

"Umm, yeah sure mom."

"Good, once that's done you can get started in the attic by removing anything that has got a sticky label on it saying that it should be removed. I put them on earlier in the week to make sure that we have less work to do today."

And with that she left to go to the kitchen to get some hot water, in the meantime leaving Ranma with nothing to do until her mother came back.

Masaki house

Tenchi and the others followed Washu into her lab and through a series of side rooms that each had a different set of machines inside. Several of which gave Tenchi the shivers, he had been in some of these rooms before and knew exactly what each of those machines did. The sooner he got out of there the better.

What did get his attention was that this was further into Washu's lab than any of them had been in before, with the possible exception of Mihoshi, but then she seemed to be the only person to be able to avoid any of Washu's security devices, and someone who constantly got on Washu's nerves. It was kind of funny when you thought about it, someone who took every blond sterotype and multiplied it by ten often outsmarted the greatest scientific genius in the universe.

Eventually they reached their destination. The first thing they noticed was that room was smaller than the rest that they had passed through. It also had the smallest amount of equipment, just a single desk on the far side of the room. It had a look and feel of a shrine more than a scientist's laboratory. It was on this desk that Washu sat on, while after typing a couple of buttons on her computer she managed to produce a bunch of floating cushions for the rest of the group to sit on. Once they were all seated, she began to tell her story.

Saotome Residence

Cleaning his mother's house had taken much less time than he had imagined it would. With both his mother and himself they made pretty good time cleaning the attic of broken furniture and unwanted boxes of mementos. It wasn't even lunch by the time they had finished that room and had started on the others. Contrary to what his mother had said yesterday, there wasn't all that much that needed to be removed. By the time it was time for lunch they had already finished.

He was just going through the attic one last time to see if he hadn't missed anything, when he spotted something from the corner of his eye. It was a large cardboard box with 'Ranma' written on one side in large letters. Curious as to what could be inside, Ranma decided to investigate.

Masaki house

"You see it all started when Kagato invaded my ship, the Sonja. As you all know he imprisoned me in a cryogenic chamber and sent me out to be exiled, where Mihoshi and Kiyone eventually discovered me and brought me here. Ryoko went on to be controlled by Kagato until Yosho defeated her here on earth and imprisoned her in a cave for 700 years, until she was eventually released by Tenchi."

Ryoko shivered slightly at the bad memories of being under Kagato's control and all the things he had her do in the quest for power, but she continued listening patiently none the less.

"Anyway, that is what you know. However, there is a part of the story that I didn't tell anyone, simply because it caused me too much pain, and at the time I didn't think it was important." Washu then started typing into her computer again and off to one side of the room appeared a large wide screen TV. Somehow Mihoshi found some popcorn and started munching away at it, but no one paid any attention to her. After Washu pressed another button a scene was shown as what most recognised as a room from the Sonja, with the man that Tenchi had to eventually kill standing over a large box. Ryoko was easily seen in a chamber on the wall either unconscious or asleep. At the moment Kagato was laughing hysterically while looking at what everyone now knew was Washu's prison.

It was at this point that Ryoko started shivering violently, the memories being too painful for her to cope with. Many were surprised when Ayeka sidled up next to her and gave her a reassuring hug, which did manage to calm Ryoko down slightly. Washu gave her a sympathetic smile before she continued on.

"As you can see, this is security footage that was recorded at the time Kagato attacked my ship. In a moment the prison I'm in is going to be sent out into empty space for me to drift around in for several thousand years." Sure enough Kagato pressed a button and Washu's prison suddenly disappeared.

"The only reason I have this security footage is because while my prison was in range it had complete access to the monitoring software on the ship. My prison was recording everything that happened on my ship for a couple of hours." On the big screen Kagato had suddenly turned around and drawn his sword at the ready, as if preparing for an attack.

"What just happened Washu-chan?" asked Tenchi.

"Kagato just spotted some movement, that's all. Anyway, this may answer your questions from earlier on."

On the screen everyone watched as Kagato made his way warily towards whatever had caught his attention, the camera moving with him. Soon he arrived at what seemed like another group of chambers like the ones Ryoko was seen in earlier, only there was something that caught everyone's eyes immediately. For inside one of the chambers was seen a small child, a baby really, with black hair and was curled up in a foetal position. While everyone was shocked at what they saw, it was Ryoko that asked the question first.

"What the hell is that?"

Washu turned and glanced at Ryoko before looking back at screen. "That, Ryoko, is your brother."

Saotome Residence

Ranma had discovered that the box with his name on contained a number of photo albums from the day he was born to the day his father had taken him on the training trip when he was five. There were also a number of official documents, including something that got Ranma very interested.

Ranma had never known when his birthday was. When he was on the training trip he just ended up celebrating on the same day as his father, it wasn't as if he was ever going to have a party to celebrate, so he had no idea when he was born. His birth certificate stated that 'Ranma Saotome was born on 30th of June 1986', a whole month from today. He was slightly disappointed to see his father named as Genma, but it wasn't the end of the world.

It was when he had opened the first of the photo albums that his mother turned up and noticed what he was looking at.

"Oh my, I haven't seen these for years! Would you mind if I looked at these with you, I'm sure you would like to know more about your family."

"Of course I don't mind mom that would be great!"

So they made their way through some fond (and quite frankly embarrassing) memories of Ranma's past, Nodoka pointing out family members that Ranma had yet to meet, and the events that had happened which led to the photos being taken. As time went on, Ranma felt his mother was losing her formal behaviour and was showing genuine happiness in her descriptions of the past, and Ranma felt much more comfortable in her company.

Nodoka was pointing out a formal portrait showing the whole family, and was describing how Ranma had been fidgeting during the whole photo shoot, when the door bell rung, signalling the fact that someone was waiting outside. Nodoka got up and headed to the door, telling Ranma to put the photo albums away when he finished looking at them.

As Ranma watched his mother leave, he let his thoughts drift to the time they had spent together today. For most of the day there had seemed to be a barrier between the two, as if no emotional interactions could occur between them. It was only when they had been looking over memories of the past where there had been any amount of friendliness on her part towards him. It was a start, hopefully a chance to be a family, like the family that was in the picture in front of him.

Standing at the back was Genma, wearing an obviously cheep suit that he failed to look comfortable wearing. What was worse was that the bandana on his head failed to match with the suit at all, also showing his baldness wasn't something that was recent. He had a hand on his wife's shoulder, who was sitting in front of him wearing a formal kimono with chibi-Ranma sitting on her lap, at his guess less than a year old. Ranma himself was wearing a cute little sailor suit, his hair not yet long enough to be in a pigtail, so it was still short.

Ranma wished they could be a family like this one was. While Genma was looking awkward in his suit, his posture showed that he was very protective of his new family. Nodoka was holding her young child with a beaming smile on her face, seemingly on top of the world. And as for Ranma, he couldn't remember the time when he had felt as much love and affection as the young child in the portrait did. He was laughing at the side of the camera, possibly an assistant with some sort of toy to keep his attention; his expressive eyes were filled with mirth and unconditional love that only those young, innocent few can feel.

_Hang on, backup a bit_. There was something wrong with the portrait, something that Ranma couldn't quite put his finger on. Checking Genma first led to nothing out of ordinary, apart from the cheap suit. There was nothing wrong with his mother; she looked as elegant as usual in her high quality kimono. Lastly he checked himself, the young child in his mother's arms. After a quick search he had found what was wrong, there was something wrong with that boy's face. Something that made him freeze and only allowing one thought to go through his head.

Since when were his eyes brown?

Authors note

I'm so good, a double cliff-hanger! Bet you know what I meant now when I wrote a summary for this story. I thought of the Saotomes being unable to have a child, and so adopting Ranma like with Superman, but I decided to do something different instead. It allows for more panda bashing, my favourite hobby.

Thanks for the reviews keep them coming in. Here are some replies to the reviews that have been sent in.

Firstly I may have only seen a couple of episodes, but I did a hell of a lot of research on the web for every point I make in the story. The problem is that with so many versions of Tenchi out there I have no idea of what is right and what is wrong, so don't be surprised if I have many different themes from different versions in this fic, or something turns up that wouldn't happen in the anime. I'm trying my best, really I am.

As for any spelling mistakes, I rely heavily on spell check; so don't be surprised if I make really stupid errors. I already highlighted a couple that have been corrected in the last chapter. I suppose that is why we have reviewers, to point out all the stupid mistakes us authors make.

As for Washu breaking down like that, I had to get her to spill the beans to the others somehow, and she is stubborn and intelligent enough to hide anything if she wants to, plus she can simply threaten to send people to her lab if they pry too much. By making her break down she can't hide it anymore. The pain of a death in the family would become easier to deal with in time, but there will be periods where Washu will be more emotionally vulnerable than others. It just so happens that Yosho was at the right place at the right time to get Washu to open up a bit, any other time and he would have failed miserably. Well, that's my theory anyway.

And Washu was found by the galaxy police floating in space in a frozen state for this fic, if I can change Ranma's species then I can do small things like that. This is my fic, so if want to do something like that then I will, so there! ;)

The idea I have about the extra gems is simple; I needed some way to explain why Ranma isn't floating around and teleporting everywhere. The next chapter will explain how they would work to activate Ranma's Masu genes, and why Washu hasn't given them to Ryoko.

I can personally see Washu as Ranma's mother; their personalities are very similar. As for the genius part, there is more than one type of genius; some people just choose to focus in areas other than academics that's all. In anything Martial arts related Ranma is a genius, just like with anything scientific Washu is a genius. They have both focused on one subject and have excelled at it, although I will have Washu teaching Ranma 'school stuff'. He will not become an over night Einstein though, so don't worry.

And for those Akane bashers out there, don't worry I'm not going to be really nice to Akane in this fic, but neither will I turn her into some sort of monster. From the stories I have read people either treat her as a saint or as the devil incarnate, I'm just trying to make her a bit more 3 dimensional that's all. There will be a lot of Akane bashing though, just to warn you.

Wow, I ended up writing a hell of a lot of stuff there. That's it for now though, hope you like this chapter and keep sending in those reviews. Just be nice to me, I've found out it's a lot easier being a reviewer than an author.


	5. Chapter four

"MY WHAT!?" screamed Ryoko, who had suddenly recovered from her old memories after Washu's sudden statement. She wasn't the only one surprised, everyone else thought that Ryoko was a one off, unique. To think that there was another version of Ryoko out there had never occurred to them, the clone made by Dr Clay not withstanding.

"The baby in that chamber is your brother," repeated Washu. She knew that she shouldn't have told the others this, but it was too late to back out of it now, all she could do was hope they accepted it without too much fuss. She had a feeling though that Ryoko wouldn't like the fact she was holding back on her.

"But how can that be Washu-chan, you've never mentioned him before, nor has there been any official record of you having a second child made in the galaxy police database" asked Kiyone.

"What do you mean by that Kiyone? Why would that be in the galaxy police's database?" asked Tenchi.

Kiyone turned to the crown prince to explain, "Well, for any super-class criminal we have to know everything about them. The GP databases are some of the most detailed in the galaxy, only the ones in Washu's lab outclass it. You name it we have to know about it, their friends, family, enemies, any debts owed, anything. Since Ryoko was a space pirate we have a database on her, and the only information we have includes Washu, Kagato and Yosho's intergalactic fight with her. Nothing else on that file suggests anything about her having a sibling."

"Well I'm not surprised that you didn't have any knowledge about him, since the only two people who knew about him were myself and Kagato..." Washu explained.

"I sure would have liked to know about him 'mother'!" Interrupted by Ryoko, who had just overcome the shock of having a brother. She stood up out of Ayeka's embrace and confronted her mother. "What was it huh, were you too ashamed of me? Was it that I was his 'prototype' and you didn't feel that I needed to know, or was it that you managed to save him from Kagato and he's living a really nice happy life now, huh? Was that it?"

"No it wasn't like that at all!" protested Washu, "The reason you didn't know was that there was no reason for you to know about him, you were never going to meet him after all..."

"Oh I was right after all was I; I'm not good enough to get to know him! That's it isn't it?" menaced Ryoko.

"No, No! Of course I'm not ashamed of you, it's just..." Washu was almost in tears by this time; Ryoko's accusations were too much for her right now.

"Oh, ok then tell us then, why can't I see my brother?"

"HE'S DEAD ARIGHT!!" cried Washu, before tears finally overcame her as she huddled on her desk and wept for the lost family. "He's dead".

Saotome Residence

Ranma just sat there in the attic, staring at the happy little boy in the photo in disbelief. Ranma's eyes were blue; it was one feature of his that was often commented about by others, blue was a rare colour in Japan after all.

So how could the little boy in the photo have brown eyes? As far as Ranma knew it was impossible to change the colour of your eyes, unlike hair which could easily be done either naturally in old age or by hair dye. The fact that the boy seemed so comfortable in his mother's arms removed the possibility that this wasn't her son, plus the fact that Nodoka said so herself that this was a family portrait, shot that idea down.

Maybe it was a dodgy photo. There might have been something wrong with the camera that took the photo, or the photographer was rubbish and couldn't focus properly or something. The fact that this was a professional photograph, and as such only high quality materials and skilled people would be able to take such a photo was conveniently forgotten as Ranma latched onto a lifeline that could make the horrible feeling in his stomach go away.

His lifeline was soon cut away from its support as he checked the photos earlier in the album, and discovered that the child that Nodoka had called Ranma had brown eyes in each photo.

Struggling to find any reassurance in the evidence in front of him, he skipped forward in the album, trying to find any hope for him. Maybe he had an older brother or something. Maybe Ranma was the younger child and Nodoka just failed to mention that he had a brother. Yeah that was it, no problem there then.

Where before his lifeline had simply been cut away, this time it had been burned by flamethrowers and shot down by machine gun fire. Just after a picture entitled 'Ranma's first steps' was the first picture of a blue eyed Ranma. The change wasn't a gradual change, but had gone from dark brown to Ranma's startling blue. These continued all there way through the rest of the albums until the day he had been taken on the training trip. There was no other picture of a brown eyed 'Ranma', so the brother idea wasn't a good one. Besides, there was only any evidence for **one** Saotome child, not two. All the evidence was pointing to the fact that the brown eyed boy and the blue eyed boy were the same person. The problem was the two boys looked nothing alike. Apart from the eye colour, the two faces were slightly different shape, and they were at different heights as well.

It was quickly becoming clear to Ranma that something wasn't right. At some point after 'Ranma's first steps' the child in the photographs had drastically changed his appearance. There were two explanations; either there was some sort of weird magic that had changed Ranma's appearance when he was a child, which wasn't out of the question considering his experience with Jusenkyo. The other explanation though was...

..._I'm not actually Ranma Saotome._

It was at that moment that he heard footsteps coming from outside the door, his mother's footsteps he realised. No, after finding out all this evidence there was a large possibility that this wasn't his mother. Even so, she was one of only two people who would know the truth about his parentage, and he wouldn't trust Genma to tell the truth if he was forced to take a truth serum. If she could give some reasonable explanation then Ranma would feel a whole lot better about this.

Nodoka opened the door and stormed into the room, an annoyed look on her face.

"I can't believe the nerve of some people! They honestly expected me to honour some engagement between their son and my daughter. I mean, I don't actually have a daug...oh my. It seems I am going to have a 'chat' with my husband." It was only then that she looked up and spotted the worried look on her son's face.

"Son, there isn't anything wrong is there?"

Ranma lowered his head to look at the floor while considering his words carefully, not wanting to offend her, nor did he want to mess this bit up. After a couple of moments, he had what he was going to say all sorted out and looked up to ask his mother a question that could make or break him.

"Mom, am I really your son?"

Masaki house

As Washu sat on the desk hugging her knees while crying tears for her lost son, the rest of the people gathered didn't know what to say or do. At least they knew why Washu was so upset.

Ryoko slumped back onto her chair, starting to feel horrible for what she had just done. What was she thinking, accusing Washu of not really caring for her? Sure they were far from your typical Mother and daughter relationship, but they still cared for each other. Ryoko may not admit it much to anyone, but she loved Washu, and she knew that Washu loved her. They often showed it in peculiar ways, but they still loved each other. Washu was obviously hurting over loosing her son, Ryoko's brother, and she had only gone and made things worse.

Katshuhito interrupted her thoughts momentarily. "Washu, are you alright to continue?"

Sniff, "Yes Yosho-dono, I'll be fine in a minute" said Washu. Rubbing the tears from her eyes, Washu sat up straight and prepared herself for more explanations.

"Yes, well sorry about that. Anyway, as I said earlier the baby in that chamber is my son. He was only young, his body equivalent to a one year old child on earth. As you can see on the security footage, Kagato found him and after finding out he wouldn't be useful for his future plans he killed him by throwing him off the ship." On the screen the assembled group watched as Kagato pressed a button on a consol and sent Washu's son off the ship.

"The pod he was in was feeding him nutrients to not only sustain him but also accelerate his growth. Without access to the ship's power though it would have stopped working after a couple of hours, leaving him defenceless. He would have lasted about a day at the most on his own."

"My consolations Washu-chan" comforted Ayeka.

"Thank you Ayeka, but is was a long time ago, really"

"Erm... look Washu, I'm sorry for what I said earlier alright. It was out of order and I was wrong saying it" said Ryoko, a guilty expression on her face.

"That's alright Ryoko; you had every right to be angry. I should have told you about your brother a long time ago, it just hurt too much to think about".

"May I ask you something Washu?" Receiving a nod as an answer Katshuhito continued, "Was your son another creation of yours in a similar mould to Ryoko, or was he made from completely different genes than her?"

"Curiosity too big for you eh Yosho-dono?" quipped Washu, mirth returning to her eyes for the first time since the day before, "Well yes, he had Masu genes like Ryoko's, and some others for good measure. When he reached full maturity he would have had the potential to be as powerful or even more powerful than Ryoko is"

"I don't get it though Washu-chan," questioned Ayeka, "if he could have been so powerful then why would Kagato let him die in space? Surly he would have been just as useful to his plans as Ryoko, it doesn't make any sense."

Washu sat there for a moment staring off into space for a moment before deciding how to answer Ayeka's query. "It would probably make more sense if I just explain how I came about having a son, as well as why Kagato discarded him all in one go", there a great amount of distaste was heard in her voice.

"Ryoko wasn't the first child that I had. Once a long time ago I was married. The marriage was at first great, there was a lot of love between us and I couldn't have been happier."

"Then just after my first child was born my family was taken away from me. You see my husband at the time was a member of nobility of a rival power of Jurai, and to be married to a Jurain such as myself was shocking for them. So my husband left me, taking my son with him. I never saw them again."

"Well of course I was distraught. Eventually I adapted my appearance to that of a young girl, determined that the adult world of politics would never hurt me again. As time passed the desire to have a family grew, I missed my child everyday and still do. Eventually I created Ryoko from my own ova and combined it with some Masu genes I had found, as well as creating Ryo-ohki, and I gave her the gems as a power source."

"At first I was ecstatic, at last I had a family and would never be alone again. While I loved Ryoko with all my heart, and still do, I soon discovered I hade made a mistake. Instead of allowing Ryoko to grow up as a normal child would, she came into maturity too quickly. The memories of having a child grow up; of nurturing a small child to become an adult of worth would never be mine."

"I didn't want to miss out on such an experience so I created a second child using the last of the Masu genes that I had. This time I was going to allow him to mature to an age equivalent of a three year old before allowing him to grow up in a normal fashion, bringing him up with Ryoko to be part of the family I always wanted."

"Off course, anyone who knows me well will know that I can never stop improving an already perfect project. So it should come to no great surprise to you that I made him slightly different to Ryoko."

"What did you do Washu?" asked Sasami, thoroughly enthralled in her tale.

"Well, as you know Ryoko is very versatile and powerful. She has many abilities that make it incredibly difficult to fight her, being as unpredictable as she is. As for power, her gems hold tremendous amounts of it in an almost everlasting amount. The one thing I could improve on is the actual power generated by Ryoko herself. Ryoko is still powerful in her own right, but not so much that I couldn't improve on it."

"So I looked for a way to make my future child either be able to become physically stronger, or to be able to increase the amount of power he had at a faster rate than usual. Soon I came across the specimen that had the perfect set of genes that I required."

"So what did you find?" asked Tenchi.

"If you stop interrupting you will find out" snapped Washu. "Anyway, the specimen I found belonged to an incredibly powerful race known as Sayajins..."

"Saiyans!!" How could you describe such a barbaric people as the Sayajins as the perfect specimen?" screamed Ayeka.

"What exactly is a Sayajin?" asked Tenchi.

"Sayajins are some of the most disgusting, despicable creatures in the universe! They have been described as planet destroyers on more than one occasion, due to the fact that they go from planet to planet conquering them and then taking all the natural resources on them to sell to the highest bidder. The planets population is often sold into slavery or simply killed, you have no idea how much trouble they are causing Jurai. We have to keep intercepting the infernal infants in any Jurian colony that is under treat, if some get through the net then they grow up and become a real danger to the people of the planet"

"What do you mean children? Are we going to be expecting trouble here on Earth?" asked Tenchi.

Katshuhito answered this one. "I would be incredibly surprised if a Saiyan could land on Earth without either the galaxy police or ourselves not knowing about it don't worry. As for the question of children, since the Sayajins came to be under the rule of King Cold (1) they have sent Saiyans children to different planets in spaceships when they are still babies. When they land on a planet they follow a simple set of programming, destroy and conquer. Now you may ask what a simple child could do that would cause such distress? The answer is that the Saiyans have a unique ability to turn into giangantic monkeys when they see the full moon, monkeys that are 20 feet tall and can send huge energy blasts out of their mouths. They are nearly indestructible when pitted against a normal man, no matter how well armed they are. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to survive a nuclear missile without a scratch when they are like that." He then glanced at Washu, "I do hope that this wasn't that particular ability that you gave to your child, in that state they are demonic at best."

"Don't worry Yosho-dono, I chose a slightly different ability of theirs" reassured Washu.

"Ah I think I know the one you mean Washu" said Katshuhito.

"Don't tell me they can do magic or something like that" exclaimed Tenchi. He was slightly alarmed at the threat this race could become.

"No they can not do magic, in fact you Jurians do things that more closely resemble magic than anything the Saiyans can do, with the possible exception of the Oozaru transformation" said Washu

"Oozaru?"

"That's the big giant monkey transformation Tenchi" explained Washu. Once she saw that he understood, she continued, "And besides there is no real such thing as magic. A Terran once described magic as being something that we can not understand. If you went back 500 years and showed them something as basic as a biro then they would accuse you of witchcraft. There is always a scientific explanation for something, you just have to find out what it is."

"Anyway, we're getting off the subject. What got me so interested in the Sayajins is that after every fight they have, they are somehow able to increase in strength and power at an increased rate. The more a Sayajin fights, the greater their strength becomes. It was this ability that I gave to my young child".

"Unfortunately due to the Sayajin DNA, and the fact that I wanted my son to have a normal childhood, I was unable to activate his Masu genes, making him just like a normal human in many areas. That was why Kagato killed him; he didn't have access to the key that would be required to do such a thing."

"So Washu-chan, what was this key to activating his genes?" asked Kiyone.

"Why, it was these of course" exclaimed Washu as she opened a secret apartment in the desk and produced three ruby gems to the amazement of the others in the room.

"WHAT!"

"I thought you couldn't create anymore of those!"

"Are those the same as Ryoko's?"

"Oooh, pretty!!"

"Meow"

"Hey Washu, do you think I could have those, since mine are in the Tenchiken?"

"No!" snapped Washu. She waited for the questions to stop before she continued with what she was saying earlier.

"Yes, these are gems are like the ones that Ryoko has, although they are slightly altered due to my son's different morphology." She then glanced at Ryoko, "The difference in the gem's structure would probably not allow you to activate the gem's power, since your body is so used to yours. And even if you **could** use these gems, I wouldn't let you."

"Why not, it's not like your using them is it?" shot back Ryoko.

Washu glowered for a moment before answering. "Ryoko, would you steal something from a gravesite or a shrine? All I have left of my son are these gems and a cabbit egg that would have been his should he have survived. I will not part with these items just because yours are being used else where. As far as anyone is concerned they are off limits, understood?"

"Yes Washu, I believe we can all understand that point, after all we do live in a shrine do we not?" agreed Katshuhito, making sure the point was clearly made and understood. He still remembered when some miserable thief had taken some irreplaceable jewellery from his late wife's shrine 20 years ago. The jewellery in question was her wedding ring and other important sentimental belongings that she had owned. One day a wandering martial artist had turned up seeking shealter, and had left the next day with the shrine's contents. If he ever saw him again then he was going to get some earned retribution.

Somewhere in the city of Tokyo a certain Panda had a sneezing fit, and wondered if it would be a good time to leave the country.

Back at the house...

"Erm... Washu, did you say that you had another cabbit egg?" asked Sasami.

"Yes I did, after all I couldn't allow my son to become lonely on any trip he made in space could I? And anyways, it would have given Ryo-ohki some company."

"Washu-chan, what was his name?"

"Huh, what was that Mihoshi?" asked Washu.

"I said what was your son's name? You haven't told us yet, or you might have and I've forgotten it, in which case you would be reminding me what it was" rambled Mihoshi.

Sigh. "I hadn't gotten that far yet Mihoshi. The closest I came was a code name 'Infant Beta', but that was only for the computer's benefit. I never really had a chance to name him before Kagato, and afterwards there didn't seem to be a point."

"Washu-chan, could I name him since you haven't, at least his memory would have a name" asked Sasami.

Washu thought about briefly before agreeing. "That sounds o.k. Sasami, it probably wouldn't hurt. What do you have in mind?"

"Weeelll... since Ryoko is one of your children then how about calling him something that sounds like it, like say...Ryoga?"

"Hmmm, Ryoga....Ryoga Hakubi, that sounds lovely Sasami. It has a nice ring to it somehow don't you think?" said Washu. She started think what life might have been like for little Ryoga if Kagato had never turned up.

Katshuhito noticed that the scientist was getting depressed again, so decided that the interrogation had ended for today. "Well, I think that is enough for today. Why doesn't everyone head back to the house, I believe we have been down here longer than we realized and that it is nearly lunch time already."

His comment had the desired effect. "Ohmygod,I'vegotsomuchtodo!ComeonRyo-ohiletsgo!" All that was left of Sasami was a faint after image as she rushed out of the lab.

Everyone else reluctantly left at a more settled pace, leaving only Katshuhito and Washu behind.

"You know Washu, if you ever need to talk to someone then all you need to do is ask. Some people in this house may have their differences, but when needed we all stick together. Don't forget that when your down her on your own, ok." With that said he too left the lab, leaving Washu holding all that was left of her newly named, long dead son Ryoga.

Saotome house

The question seemed to shock Nodoka slightly, before she put on a reassuring expression on her face, even if there was the smallest trait of guilt on it.

"Why Ranma, of course you are my son! You have seen pictures of just after you were born after all, so what would make you think that you weren't?"

"Well, those pictures were of a boy with brown eyes, mine are blue. As far I know it's not possible to change eye colour like that so I can't be your son can I?"

Nodoka's body slumped with relief as all the tension that had built up evaporated.

"Oh **that**! There just because you had eyes of a different colour as a baby then it doesn't mean that you're not my son."

"It doesn't?" asked Ranma softly.

"No off course not. Eye colour often changes slightly when we grow up, it's not unusual for it to do so. No don't worry about it and forget any thoughts of you not being my son, alright?"

"Erm... ok, but the thing is..."

"Ranma, what did I say about forgetting any silly ideas like that? Now then, I think we have spent enough time here looking at the past. Why don't you put all these things away and come downstairs to have some lunch with me?"

"Well I would, but you see... ah, Kasumi already gave me some bentos for lunch, and I wouldn't want to waste good food would I? Besides, I was supposed to meet umm... Ucchan in about an hour or so"

"Well I suppose that's fine dear, just be sure to be manly with her, I want lots of grandchildren after all!" and with that she turned around and left a relieved Ranma behind.

The truth was that he didn't have to meet Ukyo, nor was eating Kasumi's food a priority over his mother's since he had enough of an appetite to eat both. No, he simply needed to have some time to himself about a few things. But he would have to do it somewhere else other than here.

Deciding on his plan Ranma packed up all the albums and documents and packed them into the box, taking the album which had the 'first steps' photo for future study. Once that was done he placed the album under his arm and leapt out onto the street through the open window, heading towards the Tendo dojo.

As he walked he thought about what he had just discovered. While his mother had assured him that he really was a Saotome, there was something about her behaviour that seemed...wrong somehow, as if she was trying to hide something. Was she hiding the fact that Ranma wasn't her son at all, or was it the hurt that she was feeling for his accusation? He didn't know, but this was really getting to him.

Thinking about it there wasn't really all that much to get suspicious about. A bunch of photos that showed a physical change that was already explained by his mother, and her slightly dodgy behaviour. Not a lot really, it could mean anything. The photos were no proof on their own, and his mother always behaved in an odd way, today wasn't all that unusual. He was probably getting upset over nothing.

SPLASH

Ranma stopped as she noticed that the ladle lady had struck again, meaning Ranma was now a member of the fairer sex. _As if my day couldn't get any worse _thought Ranma morosely. At least Dr Tofu's was nearby, and he would have some hot water for her to use. With that Ranma altered her route slightly to intercept the doctor's clinic.

Dr Tofu's

Ranma entered the clinic and took off her shoes, calling for the good doctor when she was done. It took only a moment for Dr Tofu to enter the reception area to greet her.

"Ah, hello Ranma. Let me guess, you want some hot water, unless of course you have an injury, though you do seem healthy to me."

"Yeah doc, its just hot water for me."

"I thought so, if you wait here a moment I'll be back in a minute".

It only took a moment for Dr Tofu to come back with a kettle of hot water, he always kept several handy for situations such as these since jusenkyo cursed people started living in Nerima. He then handed it to Ranma, who soon changed back to his preferred gender, at least for the time being anyway. Ranma then thanked the doctor before turning to leave the clinic, only to find a firm hand on his shoulder. It appeared the doctor wasn't done with his favourite patient yet.

"While you seem to be physically healthy Ranma, there seems to be an unbalance in your ki that suggests that you are under some sort of turmoil. While it is not a threat to you right now, if you don't get it sorted out then there is a possibility of there being permanent problems in your ki, which will lead to problems. If there is a problem then I would love to be able to help if it is possible."

"I'm not sure doc; I don't think this is something you can help me with."

"Well why don't you try me, I might surprise you. Follow me into my office where we can talk in some privacy"

Once Ranma was seated in Dr Tofu's office he started telling him about what he had found out today. He discussed how he had looked through 'his' childhood before finding out that the child in the photograph had brown eyes, how at some point after he had learned to walk they had mysteriously turned blue, and his mother's reaction to his question. Afterwards he showed Dr Tofu the photo album with the 'before and after' photos, the point where his appearance changed suddenly.

Throughout this Tofu listened patiently in silence, letting Ranma tell his story without any interruptions. Once Ranma was finished he just allowed himself to have a couple of moments to get all the facts straight in his head before addressing Ranma.

"O.k., so you have suspicions that the Saotomes are not your parents due to some photographic evidence, and when you asked your mother about it you had the impression that she was hiding something, but you are not sure what that would be, am I right?" He got a nod as an affirmative answer.

"Could you tell me what you think of this doc? Do you think I am a Saotome or not?" asked Ranma.

"Too be honest, I really can't say. There is nothing her that I can use to make a solid assumption, and it wouldn't be right for me to say things that have no basis in fact."

"Please doc; I need someone to discus this with. Could you at least come up with some ideas of what is going on?" said Ranma, **almost** begging. Ranma never actually begged to anyone.

Sigh, "O.k. Ranma, I'll come up with some ideas for you to think over, how's that?" Once he got a nod from his patient, he started putting together what they knew.

"Now then, let's take one issue at a time; first let's look at these photos. Now you should know that eye colour on its own isn't enough proof to say that you are not a Saotome, after all nearly half of all children have some change in eye colour when they are young. However, it is extremely rare for cases to appear after the age of 6 months, nor is it as likely to happen in such a rapid rate as these photos seem to suggest. Along with the fact that there are other subtle changes in height and facial features, I would have to say that there is a large possibility that you may not be a Saotome."

"I thought as much" sighed Ranma, resigning himself to his fate.

Tofu continued, "What really concerns me is that there is a difference in features at all. This suggests that you were a replacement for their original son, either by adoption or by other means."

"What do you mean by that doc?"

"Well, consider the possibility that your father lost his son on a training expedition, which having worked with him is not out of the question. He is worried about the fact that he would have to explain that to his wife, so what does he do?"

"Knowing Genma he would probably steal..." answered Ranma, before realising what the doctor was indicating.

"Yes Ranma, there is a chance that Genma found a child of a similar age to his own and took him, you, from your original family."

"That bastard!" growled Ranma. "All he put me through and I'm probably not even his son!"

"Now hang on there Ranma, all I did was make a hypothesis, a possibility of what really occurred. I don't mean that is what happened, it may just be that their first son died and they adopted you as a replacement heir, or that you really are their original son" reassured Dr Tofu. "Now then, your mother's reaction may mean something as well. Did you say that she tried to avoid the subject altogether?"

"That's right doc, she did try and stop me thinking about it. Do you think she was hiding something?"

"Hmmm, now that is a puzzle" pondered the doctor. "That she seemed to be avoiding at any question of your parentage does seem to argue against any theory that you were a replacement taken by Genma to save his hide, unless..."

"Unless what..."

"Well Ranma, like all of what I am saying this is just a possibility, but could you tell me something first? How would you describe your mother? Not her looks, but her personality."

Ranma pondered for a moment, "Well... she's quite formal, friendly when you get into her good books, and she is really honourable. She holds honour really highly, why do you ask anyway?"

"Ranma let me ask you something, if Genma had lost his son in some stupid accident, what do you think Nodoka would have done?"

"Erm, I don't know."

"O.K, what I think would have happened is that Nodoka would have thought that having lost her son was a very dishonourable action on her and Genma's part. Anyone that came across her would forever think of her as someone who had lost her child, and she would have lost a lot of respect in society."

He continued when he saw that Ranma understood. "But if there was a way out of this situation, if there was a way to maintain her family's honour then she would have taken it, if we take into account how highly she holds honour. If we assume, and only assume mind you, that Genma stole a child to replace the one he lost, then I doubt that a mother would not recognise him as a fake after a gap of only a few days. It may be possible that she allowed Genma to think he got away with the deception so that her honour would be maintained. She would still have her family and no one would need to know."

By now Ranma was starting to get a really sick feeling in his stomach. He knew that he was normally the brunt of everybody's honour, but this? It was too hard to imagine.

Dr Tofu put his hand up to get Ranma's attention. "Anyway, I think we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves. After all, we have no real scientific proof that you are not a Saotome, nor that you were stolen. As a man of science I do not deal in theories, but in fact. And the only evidence that will stand up to any scrutiny is a birth certificate of Ranma Saotome, there is no other evidence."

"So I'll never know if I really am a Saotome or not."

"Now Ranma I never said that. There are various ways to prove whether or not you are Nodoka's son. The best option would be for me to send in samples of DNA from you and your mother for comparison."

"DNA test?"

"Why yes. By comparing your mother's DNA and yours then we can tell if you are related or not. If there was a close match then that would prove that she is your mother, if they didn't then she isn't. It is really that simple."

"That sounds easy enough. But why my mother's DNA, isn't my fathers good enough? And isn't this going to be expensive?" asked Ranma

"Oh no, for doctors like me it is quite cheap. I'll charge you for the family discount, which is 100 free of charge. As for why we would need your mother's DNA, well if we took a sample from your father then all that would prove is that he isn't your father. Nodoka could still be your father by another man, such as Soun Tendo or Principle Kuno."

Tofu soon found Ranma's hands around his neck shacking it vigorously. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT KUNO-BAKA IS MY BROTHER!?!" asked Ranma in a polite, ear-splitting voice.

"Nonononono, off course not" said Dr Tofu, trying to pry Ranma's hands from their death grip. "All I said is that if the tests proved that Genma wasn't you father then Nodoka could have had a child with anyone, that's all."

"Oh, erm sorry doc" said Ranma as he released his grip. "I'm just kind of stressed at the moment, and I really hate the idea of being related to that bunch of wierdos."

"Yes I can imagine" said Tofu while slightly massaging his sore neck. "You know there is no real reason to panic about this. You are hardly the first person to find out that their parents are not who they seem to be, nor will you be the last. Just think of yourself lucky to have parents at all, there are children in orphanages who will never have stable parents and are forced to live in foster home after foster home. At least you had a constant family."

"Some family" Ranma muttered to himself, and then louder to Tofu, "Well I suppose I better be going then doc, I've used up too much time of yours today as it is."

"I wouldn't worry about it Ranma, it was a pleasure. So are you going to ask that I get your DNA checked out against your mother's?"

"Let me think about it will ya, I've still not got everything clear in my head right now."

"O.k. Ranma, I'll let you have time to think. If you decide to at any time then come back here and ask."

"Thanks doc" said Ranma. He then turned and strode to the door, before pausing and turning his attention to Dr Tofu.

"Doc, why did you offer to do this for me for free, I mean the DNA stuff. You shouldn't have to pay for this out of your own pocket."

Tofu smiled at Ranma briefly and then answered. "Well, you see my father never knew who his parents were, even to the day of his death he had no idea of where he came from. He may have never said it, but I could tell that he always wondered about his origins. I wouldn't want you to go through that, to wonder if your parents are really yours or not. I consider you as a friend Ranma, and friends help each other when needed." He saw that the Ranma was going to protest, so he raised his hand and added, "Just consider this as a favour that I expect you to pay back at some point if it makes you feel better. "

Ranma nodded before turning around and leaving the clinic, heading to the Tendo Dojo. He had some serious thinking to do.

* * *

Authors Note

You know what, I was thinking of changing my author's name to Panda basher for a while, but decided it wasn't worth it. It does suit my style of writing though.

Ok, I am going to make one point very clear so as not to cause confusion. Ranma has some Sayajin DNA yes, but he is not a Sayajin in the true sense of the word. Consider him a Masu with some Sayajin traits, just like the musk have animal traits due to how they were born, but they can still be considered human.

Why Sayajin DNA? I thought of the possibility of Washu making Ranma just the same as Ryoko, and discarded it instantly. There is no way that Washu would stick to any design when she could improve it in some way. So I racked my brain to find a way to improve Ryoko in any way, and thought of the ability to get stronger after every fight that the Sayajins have in DBZ. Like I said though, Ranma isn't going to be a Sayajin. That means he is not going to turn into a giant monkey with the full moon, nor is he going to become a super Sayajin, in this story anyway. If I do a DBZ crossover with a sequel to this story then I** may** make Ranma do something similar, depends on what you people think of the idea. The possibility of that happening though is a LONG way in the future.

(1) Oh, and no DBZ characters are going to turn up in this story. If you want a possible timeline for the events, then Goku's spaceship will crash land on earth in about 100 years in the future. So like I said, no crossover now. That is why it is King Cold (Frieza's father) instead of Frieza who is in charge of the Sayajins.

Just to clear up the whole 'Ranma's gems' issue, I took a lot of my inspiration from reading 'Process of Elimination' by Brain Randall ), where Tsunami creates a set of Gems for Ranma. It is a brilliant story, and is well worth reading in my opinion. So if extra gems can be created in that story, then I'll let it happen in my story as well.

Just as a general question, how old is Ryoko exactly? I've tried to find out, but it's really confusing. I've found answers from 2017 to 20000 years old. What I am going to do is to assume that she is 5017, and I'm going to make Ranma exactly 5000 years old (though most of that time has been spent in a frozen state). If anyone has a major problem with this than tell me. The only reason I chose this age is because Washu said in an episode (one of the few I've actually seen) that she was in a prison for the last 5000 years, so it makes sense that Ryoko and Ranma would be this age as well.

Oh, and I am going to make a list of all Ryoko's powers below, since they are going to be Ranma's as well. If there are some that I miss out on, or some that do not exist then let me know. I found all these out on the web so they should be kosher.

Powers: Flight, Phasing through walls, Teleportation, Duplicating herself, energy sword, incredible healing, the ability to manipulate matter (there was one time where she created a golem of herself from a stone statue), force field, telepathic communication with Ryo-ohki and Washu, ability to summon demons (need two gems to control them), Telekinesis (making objects move with her mind), and hair needles (attacks using her hair when her arms and legs are stuck).


	6. Chapter five

Ranma entered the dojo a while later, one thought on his mind. What was he going to do now?

His meeting with Dr Tofu was an eye opener. On his way back to the Dojo he had passed many people, a lot of them families. As he passed married couples, children and the odd old granny he kept wondering if there was a family resemblance. Was the guy he just passed his father, his uncle, or even his cousin or brother. It was unhealthy for him to think like that he knew, but he couldn't help himself. The possibility that Genma had stolen him from another family wasn't that much of a surprise, but the chance that Nodoka knew about it all along and let it slide due to honour was mind blowing. Would she really do something like that, allow a child to be taken from its family all for the sake of family honour.

Honour, was that what it really was? Was it honourable to steal a child from another family just so you wouldn't get into trouble? Was it honourable to allow it to happen so that you didn't loose face in society? He didn't think so.

Ranma entered the main room and sat down on the veranda, facing the koi pond still thinking about the events of today.

Throughout Ranma's life he had been poor. During the training trip he had been forced to steal because his father called it 'stealth practice', endure incredibly stupid exercises that nearly killed him, and eventually lose his manhood due to a Chinese curse. Throughout it all Ranma had owned nothing but what was on his back, and even then Genma often stole various things from his pack to sell as sake money. The only thing he truly owned, something his old man couldn't take from him, was his honour.

He tried his best to be honourable. If he made a promise he kept it, he protected people from danger no matter the risk, and if it wasn't for his honour then the whole fiancée mess would have been sorted out a long time ago. He would have killed Shampoo during the whole 'kiss of death' chase and refused to marry either the Tendos or Ukyo, no matter what they said to him.

Unfortunately he needed to keep his honour. Without it he wouldn't be Ranma Saotome, but Genma. Ranma couldn't live his life without honour, to do so would go against everything he had believed in his whole life.

But was what he believed in honourable? Genma's idea of honour never really seemed to make sense to Ranma, it involved too many back doors that allowed him to do what he wanted, and more importantly get Ranma to do what he wanted. How did he know that his idea of honour was any better?

He forcibly shook his head at the idea. He had to stop this line of thought; if he didn't then he would start questioning himself. He would start to question things about himself and those around him forever, and that would rapidly turn into a disaster.

It seemed Tofu knew what he was talking about when he mentioned the DNA test. The not knowing, the possibility that Genma and Nodoka were not his parents was driving him mad. If he kept up like this then he would spend the rest of his life wondering if it was true, was his life his own?

Did he want to know though? If it turned out that Genma wasn't his father then it would be a life changing discovery. He would possibly be without a family of any sort. True, loneliness wasn't unusual for him, but the idea of being truly alone was daunting. Would the Tendos still want him around if he wasn't a Saotome? He could hardly join the two families if he wasn't really a Saotome, they might as well ask the first person to pass the dojo in the morning to marry a Tendo.

But the idea of this uncertainty for the rest of his life was even more daunting. He would always be wondering 'what if', just like Tofu's father. That made the decision up for him; tomorrow he would go to the clinic and give Tofu the DNA samples. It may mess his life up, but it wasn't as if his life was great at the moment anyway. He had to know, and sitting around waiting for the answer to turn up wouldn't work.

Deciding on his future course of action Ranma got up and went to the dojo to do some katas before dinner. Hopefully they would calm him down and stop him from getting stressed. They may also help him out with a problem he had just thought of.

How was he going to get a sample of Nodoka's DNA?

Masaki house

Ryoko sat on the roof of the house, watching the sun as it set over the lake signalling that the day was over and that night had begun. She wasn't really concentrating on the sights though, rather she was thinking about what she had been told earlier.

She had a brother. She knew that Washu had a child before Ryoko, but this child was different. This child was similar to Ryoko herself, he was supposed to be her little brother, and he had been killed by Kagato at the same time as she had been used as some sort of super weapon against Jurai. How many lives were ruined because of Kagato? Ryoko had been controlled by him as a slave for what seemed like forever, Washu had drifted in space until she had been discovered by the G.P, Sasami had almost died during on of Ryoko's attacks on Jurai, and Yosho was forced to fight her all the way to earth and had ended up being stranded with no way to return home, not that he actually wanted to. Now she finds out that her baby brother had been killed just because he wasn't useful to Kagato. The only good thing that happened because of him is Tenchi; if Yosho never came to Earth then the man she loved would never have been born. It was still little comfort to the pain she felt.

What hurt almost as badly as the knowledge that her brother had been killed was the fact that it had been kept from her all this time. Washu may have explained why she hid it from her, but the pain was there none the less.

Hearing a noise she turned to identify it, only to see Ayeka climbing up a ladder and finding a seat next to hers. They both sat there for a while in silence, secretly enjoying each others company. They watched as first Washu and then Katshuhito went the edge of the lake and sat down at the water's edge. Soon talking could be seen between them. After a while Ayeka decided to break the silence.

"How do you feel?"

Ryoko turned to her with a questioning look before answering. She didn't know why Ayeka was here, but the company was welcome.

"Fine, considering the fact that I found out that I had a brother who was killed by the man who treated me like a slave for 4 thousand years, and knowing that my mother didn't want to tell me about it. When you consider all that then I feel peachy."

"Well there's no need to be like that!" snapped Ayeka, before reigning in her temper. She was here to try to help, not to cause problems. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to loose my temper there" she apologised.

Sigh. "That's alright Ayeka, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that either. It's just been a bit of a shock you know, finding out that my brother died because of Kagato. I swear if he wasn't dead already then I would kill him in the worst way imaginable."

"Shhh, don't worry about it Ryoko, Tenchi gave him what he deserved remember" said Ayeka. "Whether you believe me or not, I can sort of understand what you are feeling right now."

"Oh yeah, how come?"

Ayeka looked towards the lake and then continued. "When Yosho went off to fight you all those years ago I was in constant worry. My brother had gone to fight the 'demon Ryoko', and I didn't know whether he would come back alive or not. Eventually I decided I couldn't wait for him to return and went out to search for him, if he was dead then I would get revenge by killing you."

"You know Ayeka, I'm really sorry about what I did to Jurai back then. I wasn't in control of my body at the time and I regret every horrible thing Kagato made me do. I wish it had never happened."

Ayeka turned back to Ryoko and gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't blame you Ryoko; I know that now you had no choice over your actions. However at the time I didn't, for all I knew my brother and future husband was dead. When I arrived here it seemed as if my worst fear had occurred, he had died of old age and only his descendants were left."

"And then I found out that I was lied to, I found out that the brother I had been mourning for all this time was alive. Not only was he alive, but he decided that I didn't need to know. That hurt Ryoko, it hurt more than anything in the world. But I eventually forgave him for his deception; eventually all that mattered was that he was alive. I think in time that you will be able to forgive Washu as well."

"I don't know if I can Ayeka, it might not be possible."

"I don't think it is that bad Ryoko, just give it some time and everything will be alright."

"I wish I could share your optimism" said Ryoko. A questioning expression then appeared on her face, "Hey Ayeka, why are you up here anyway? I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me."

"I wouldn't say that Ryoko, in fact I think of you as a friend most of the time." She then saw the look on Ryoko's face, "Don't look at me like that, I do like you! Although I will admit that I would like you more if you were to stay away from my Tenchi."

"What do you mean 'your' Tenchi you old bat? There is no way in hell that he would be interested in his great auntie Ayeka after all, not when he has me to look at."

"What do you mean old bat? Compared to you I'm a spring chicken!"

"More like cold turkey!"

"WHAT!"

And so the two rivals started another fight over Tenchi that threatened to take the house with it. If anyone had taken a closer look at the two however, they would have noticed a pair of smiles adorning the two girl's faces.

A moment earlier

"Do you wish to talk about it Washu?" asked Katshuhito.

"Sit down Yosho-dono, as I have failed to get you to leave me alone thus far I don't like my chances at succeeding now."

As Katshuhito sat next to Washu he took notice of her features. She still showed signs of depression, the pain of her lose would likely never leave her. There was however a lack of tension in her features that may be related to not having to keep any secrets any longer. The depression would become easier to deal with in time, as long as she was given the support that she needed. Katshuhito was determined to give her that support.

So Katshuhito sat next to his friend and waited for her to talk when she was ready. He would achieve nothing by badgering her until she got annoyed at him; she needed to do this at her own time.

Eventually she turned to the shrine priest. "It still hurts you know."

"I don't doubt it Washu, loosing our loved ones is always hard going. When my beloved Achika died it was like a stake through my heart. I am at least lucky that she supplied me with a grandchild before she passed away to the other side. Tenchi has been a blessing to an old man's life that is for sure."

"I just wish Tenchi would realise that he can marry both Ayeka and Ryoko so he could start giving **me** grandchildren" said Washu. "Although I think they should wait until someone teaches them how to look after children first. If the time when they looked after Tenchi's cousin was anything to go by then they are going to need all the help that they can get."

"Oh yes, I heard about that. Complete disaster didn't seem to describe it accurately from what I heard."

That earned a laugh from Washu. "Oh yes, that sounds about right! In the end I had to look after him for the whole week. If I left him with the girls for an instant then the house would look like WW3 had just started." Washu then sobered up slightly, "I wish I could have brought up my children Yosho, any one of them would have been ok. It seems that fate has decided that I should be without a family."

"Now Washu, I will have to disagree with you there. You should know that everyone in this house is a family here. Why, even now Ayeka is comforting Ryoko over the loss of her brother. It is so nice to see them getting along well for a change."

It seemed Katshuhito had spoken to soon, as at that moment the sound of two angry young women arguing made its way to the talking pair.

"You were saying Yosho-dono", smirked Washu.

"I never said I said I expected miracles Washu-chan, but Ayeka was there when Ryoko needed her, just like any one of us will be here for you. Please don't forget it."

"I don't think I can Yosho, the number of times you've told me today I will have it embedded into my head for the rest. of my life."

"Then I have made my point haven't I?" said Yosho. "Here's another piece of advice then, you can't simply drown all of your troubles in the lake and expect them to disappear. If there is a problem then please tell someone, we may be able to help."

"Don't worry Yosho, I know trying to drown all your problems is doomed to failure. After all, no matter how much I try, I can't seem to get Mihoshi to go swimming with lead weights strapped to her, they always fall off when she gets into the deep end" smirked Washu, facial features showing that she wasn't **too** serious.

Katshuhito smiled at the joke. It seemed that Washu would be all right after all. "Now while I love giving lots of free advice, I fear that I will have to stop the latest fight getting out of hand again. Until next time then." And with that the two went their separate ways.

Tendo Dojo

The next morning Ranma closed the gate behind him and headed towards the clinic. The day had started out just like any other really, his father throwing him out into the koi pond for their daily sparing session, in which Ranma totally decimated him. It had been a while since Genma had actually taught him anything new, that was when he had finally gotten his hands on the Yamasen-ken scrolls. Not that Genma had allowed him to learn them of course, he had said that those scrolls were far too dangerous and immoral for anyone to use and should remain locked forever. Ranma would have taken him seriously if it hadn't been the fact that he had just given the same scrolls to Ryu Kumon's father with no regard for their safety whatsoever.

Not that Ranma hadn't taken the techniques themselves seriously. Far from it, once he had 'borrowed' them from Genma he had realised how powerful they really were. He still learned them of course, but he decided that for once the panda was right about something and that the use of the Yamasen-ken should be limited to emergencies only.

Its partner school however, the Umisen-ken, definitely had its uses out of combat. If wasn't for that technique then he probably wouldn't have the few auburn hairs that were in his hand right now. Ranma had to give some respect to Genma; those two techniques rivalled anything the amazons came up with easily. It was just a shame he was a complete moron when it concerned anything other than martial arts.

At breakfast he had found his mother along those eating today. It wasn't an uncommon sight nowadays; her house wasn't that far from the dojo so she could easily make the distance in the mornings for the early meal. He had eaten his meal in silence and then made his excuses to leave. Once out of the room he activated the invisability technique and taken a couple of hairs from Nodoka's head. It was surprisingly easy to do, and it made him understand why Genma had locked this technique as well, it was the perfect assassin's technique. If used by someone with bad intentions then it could lead to disaster.

So now he was heading to the clinic. Once he did this there would be no going back, Pandora's box would be opened and all hell could break loose. He needed to do this though, if just for piece of mind. Whatever he decided he would have to live with it for the rest of his life, at least this way he wouldn't be living a lie. If he wasn't a Saotome, then at least he would have something to show Genma when he started denying everything. Now all he needed was for no one to interrupt him on his way to the clinic so he wouldn't lose Nodoka's sample.

"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

He had to think it didn't he, he just **had** to think about wanting some peace and quiet for only a few moments. He should have known that Ryoga would show up.

"Look bacon breath I'm not going to fight ya now, I have to get to Dr Tofu's first for something important. I'll fight you afterwards, but right now isn't an option."

"Don't call me that! How dare you tell me we're not going to fight Ranma, this is a revenge fight for all the hell you've put me through. Today is the day you die!"

"Oh shut up will ya? Are you really so dishonourable that you would attack someone on the way to the doctors?"

"Grrrrr, alright Ranma. For now I'll let you live, but as soon as the doctor's seen you then you're going to pay!"

"Gee thanks Ryoga, and here I was thinking that you were a pal."

"You, a friend of mine? Ha, as if." Ryoga then remembered what Ranma had said earlier. "So, what are you going to the docs for?"

"I'm not sure that I want to tell you Ryoga, its kind of personal."

Sigh. "Ok fine, I Ryoga Hibiki promise that I will not use this information to cause you physical harm, nor will I tell another soul about it. There, now will ya tell me?"

Ranma gave Ryoga a look before shaking his heads slightly in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I know I'm going to regret it, but fine I'll tell you, but this stays between us, ya got it." It wasn't a question.

Once he had gotten an agreement from Ryoga, Ranma started telling him about what he had found out the day before, how there was a chance that he wasn't a Saotome, that his mother seemed to be hiding something, and how he was going to take a DNA test to find out the truth about his origins.

When he had finished he was expecting Ryoga to start gloating at him, to tell him that he was just a Ronin who was the scum of the earth, he didn't expect any understanding from the lost boy.

"Man that's rough Ranma"

Yet that was what he had received. It was confusing Ranma massively, he wondered where the real Ryoga had gone.

Seeing Ranma's confusion, Ryoga decided to explain. "To find out you're adopted and that your parents are hiding it, at least my parents were always open about it."

"Yeah I know. Hey hang on, what do you mean 'my parents were always open about it'? Does that mean you're not really a Hibiki?"

"Of course I'm a Hibiki Ranma, I just wasn't born one that's all. When I was about one I was found by my father on his doorstep. He took me in and tried to find my parents, but they never found my real identity. So they adopted me, all legal and all, and made me a Hibiki. They never lied to me about my past, just left out some details when I was young until I could understand them."

"Wow man, I never knew. So, what's it like being adopted?"

"To be honest Ranma I couldn't tell you, since I don't know what it was like with my real parents I can't really answer that. If you want to know if I was loved or not, then I always was a part of a family. Well, when we managed to meet up with each other. It figures that the people who adopted me are some of the only people other than myself who get lost easily."

"Wait a minute, I thought your lack of direction ran in the family or was a curse or something, so how come all of you get lost so easily?"

"Ranma, it isn't a family curse. In fact it is a rare genetic disorder that can affect anyone when they are born. It is really rare though; only about 1 person has the gene in 10 million or so. The real danger is that due to the fact that we get lost all the time, then people who have the gene tend to get killed walking off cliffs or being hit by cars. I was lucky that my parents had the gene and knew how to survive with it, if it wasn't for them I would probably be dead right now."

"Wow man, I never knew it was like that."

"Yeah well, you had no need to. So, you're really going to do the DNA test huh?"

"Yeah man, it's killing me not knowing. I might have a family out there that would really love me, that would treat me like a person rather than a bargaining chip like Genma has. Do you think of stuff like that?"

"I suppose I do Ranma. Even though I love my parents, I just can't help wondering where I've come from. Problem is I'll probably never know."

At that moment they stopped talking, as they had just arrived at Dr Tofu's clinic. Inside the clinic Ranma and Ryoga took of their shoes and entered the reception area. It didn't take long for them to find Tofu, who was currently seeing a patient.

"Ah hello Ranma. If you would take a seat outside I'll see you in a minute, I've nearly finished seeing Mrs Takahashi here." So the two boys waited outside.

In the intervening minutes before Dr Tofu could see Ranma, the two boys sat in silence thinking to themselves. Ranma was thinking about what might happen to him in the future, Ryoga however was thinking...

I almost feel sorry for Ranma, having Genma treat him like that all his life only to find out that he's not really his son! Well he still might be, but if what he's told me about those photos is true then it's not likely. To think that he was stolen from his family and then sold to all those others as if he was a sack of rice! I suppose that if he wasn't a Saotome then none of those engagements would count would they, since he wasn't a Saotome...

Ryoga froze for a moment. Hang on; if he isn't a Saotome then the engagement with the Tendos is a fraud. That means Akane isn't engaged to Ranma, and then I can make her mine! It will be me that she looks at with love and affection, me that spars with her in the evenings, and me that she... erm... hopefully doesn't cook for. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Umm, Ryoga. Are you feeling ok, its just that you laughing like an idiot for a while there."

"Oh, I'm fine Ranma, don't worry about it."

Where was I? Oh yes, HAHAHAH... hang on, what if he IS a Saotome? Then the engagement would still happen and Akane would always be his. How can I make sure that the DNA test shows that Ranma isn't a Saotome? I know, I'll fix the sample so that it isn't Ranma's but mine, that way it will show that he isn't a Saotome and then Akane will be mine!

He was about to start laughing manically again, but it was at that moment that Dr Tofu called them into his office.

Tofu's office

"So Ranma, what brings you here?" asked Tofu

"Well doc, I decided to go ahead with the DNA test. The not knowing is killing me."

Tofu gave a concerned glance in Ryoga's direction.

"Don't worry doc," Ranma reassured him, "he knows about it. He can stay of he wants to."

"Very well Ranma. It is your decision after all. Now then, do you have that sample that I needed?"

"Yeah sure doc, I got some hair from her this morning at breakfast. Hair is alright isn't it?"

"Oh yes, hair is perfect. Now I have to let you know that taking DNA samples with out the person's consent is highly illegal, it goes against all the standard codes to take a sample of a patient without them knowing about it. So I have to ask if Nodoka gave you permission to take her hair?"

"Umm, well she didn't refuse. Heh heh."

Sigh. "I'll say yes then on the form, this better not get me in trouble though. O.k. Ranma, could you place your mother's hair in this plastic bag and then place some of your own hair in this bag here" said Tofu while holding two small plastic bags with seals on them. Ranma took them and did as he was told, placing a single strand of his hair in one of the bags.

_It's now or never_, thought Ryoga. Now how was he going to cause a distraction? He saw his chance on the desk in front of him, a glass of cold water that was placed right in front of Ranma. It would be tricky, but if he gave the desk a good kick right here...

"Oh man, now I'm all wet!" cried Ranma-chan.

Sigh. "Follow me Ranma and I'll get you some hot water. You really should be more careful where you swing your foot Ryoga, you almost broke my desk."

"Sorry doc, it won't happen again" apologised Ryoga.

"O.k. then, lets get this water for you Ranma" said Tofu as he left the office, Ranma not far behind.

Once the door was closed Ryoga allowed a smirk to show on his face. He allowed himself to bask in his moment of glory, he had beaten Ranma! Now it would be he who would be with Akane, it would be he who lived at the Tendos, it would be he who...

"It's lucky that I always have hot water ready isn't it, otherwise we would have been waiting quite a while for it to boil" said Tofu from just outside the room.

Damnit, he was running out of time. Quicker than you can say sweet and sour pork Ryoga had taken a strand of his hair and placed it in the plastic bag. If he had paid more attention he would have noticed that Ranma's hair was still inside it. He had just thrown the bag back on the desk when the door opened showing Dr Tofu, who told Ryoga that it was ok to leave now as everything had been done already. Ryoga followed Ranma out of the clinic, a stupid grin on his face.

Masaki house.

All the gang minus the G.P girls were around the table this morning enjoying breakfast, Kiyone and Mihoshi were out on patrol. The mood was much better than the morning before, Ryoko and Ayeka were arguing over Tenchi, Katshuhito was reading the morning paper, Sasami was feeding Ryo-Ohki some carrots, and Tenchi was keeping silent and hoping the girls would be quiet for a while. Even Washu was in a better mood, if anyone had missed the last couple of days then they would have sworn nothing had happened. Everything seemed to be back to normal.

Ayeka turned to Washu after swallowing some rice. "I can't believe that you made your son a Sayajin of all things! What made you do such a thing Washu?"

Katshuhito almost cried to himself. While Ayeka had been trained by the best the palace had to offer, there were times when she took all the diplomacy that she had been taught and shoved it down the drain.

To Washu's credit she didn't show any extreme reaction, she simply raised an eyebrow and answered, "What ever do you mean Ayeka, my son wasn't a Sayajin."

"But you said that you had taken Sayajin genes and added them to your son. How does that not make him a Sayajin?" asked Ayeka.

"Elementary Ayeka, all I did was give my son a characteristic that Sayajins have in being able to increase their power significantly after every fight. That hardly makes him a Sayajin."

"But still..."

"Ayeka, if you still don't understand then just think of it like me taking Sasami's cooking skills and adding them to Ryoko. She may become an excellent cook, but she still isn't Sasami is she."

"Hey Washu, you couldn't..."

"No Ryoko, before you ask I can't give you Sasami's cooking skills, you will just have to learn the hard way."

"Rats" muttered Ryoko; if she could cook as well as Sasami then Tenchi would surely fall in love with her.

Katshuhito sighed to himself. Crisis averted, somehow. Still, it was good to see that Washu was back to her normal self. The problem was that everyone needed to find something to take their focus off the past, something where everyone could place all their attention on something together as a family of sorts, instead of dwelling on Washu's son Ryoga.

Glancing down at his paper, he spotted something that may be the answer. Advertised in the paper was a martial arts tournament that only wanted the best to attend. It had been a while since Katshuhito had entered a competition, he found that there were few around the world that could measure up to his skill anyway, but something about it caused him to take notice of it. The advertisement said that all styles were accepted, armed or unarmed; as long as no real killing blades or poisons were used then anything goes.

This got Katshuhito thinking. Tenchi was very good at his family style of sword fighting, one of the best actually, but he had little experience of fighting an unarmed opponent. While many would consider it unfair to fight an unarmed man while you yourself were armed, Katshuhito knew that wasn't really the case. If the unarmed man was good enough then he could easily defeat the swordsman. Hopefully there was someone at this tournament that could show Tenchi that just because his opponent was unarmed then it didn't mean he was considered easy to defeat. Katshuhito knew that he could show Tenchi this easily enough, as could Ryoko. They were both skilled fighters in their own right.

The problem was that if he or Ryoko did it then Tenchi may consider that only powerful aliens could compete with him, Katshuhito knew that this was a dangerous road to tread. There were many people that Katshuhito had met in the last 700 years that were outstanding in hand to hand combat, and could make mince meat of Tenchi in a fight. That was if he didn't employ the Light Hawk Wings of course, then there was no contest.

Besides which it would get everyone in the house behind Tenchi, and keep their minds off of recent events. Action decided, Katshuhito decided to tell Tenchi after the meal of his plans.

A week later

Ryoko and Ayeka watched as Tenchi spared with his grandfather. This sight wasn't an unusual one on the Masaki grounds, what was unusual though was the level at which they were sparing at. The two girls could hardly see the fighters move as they went at it, and they couldn't see their bokens at all.

"The old man sure is making Tenchi work hard isn't he?" commented Ryoko.

"Yes he is. My brother seems to think that Tenchi needs to train extra hard for the tournament next week. I don't see why he should bother though, I mean it's not as if anyone could beat him is there?"

"Apparently Katshuhito disagrees, Tenchi can hardly stand after the training he has gone through recently. It has me wondering if there isn't some hidden agenda somewhere."

"Possibly, but I doubt it. If there is a reason for entering Tenchi for this tournament then it is probably only an excuse to get Tenchi to train more."

"True Ayeka; that might be it." The two girls fell back into silence and watched as their love trained with his grandfather.

Tendo Dojo

Ranma was in the dojo doing his katas before dinner. It had been a whole week since he had gone to Dr Tofu's to give his DNA sample, a whole week of nervousness and unease. He wanted to know the truth, and he wanted to know now. The waiting was killing him.

Even though there was a chance that he was a Saotome, it didn't seem likely. He had started going through the photo album every night when he was on the roof, looking through the book that had started all this off. He didn't know whether to bless it or hate it with a passion. Because of that album he had found out that what he considered the truth was in fact a lie, he wasn't a Saotome, or at least there was a high possibility that he wasn't.

What did his mother think of him? Did she really love him, or was she accepting him as a way to continue the Saotome line? He hadn't seen any love for him in the time that she had known him, maybe that was the reason why she let him go on that training trip after all. The sight of him reminded her of her own son, and the only time she wanted to know him was when honour was on the line.

Well hopefully he would find out for sure today. There had been a slight delay in the results due to there being a problem with the DNA sample that Ranma had given, so he had had to give Dr Tofu another sample of hair. That had been three days ago, and today was the day that Tofu said that the results would come in. In a few short hours he would find out the truth.

In the meantime he was doing some katas to help him think and to relax. If there was one thing that helped relax him above all others (with the exception of certain drugs from two nameless fiancées), it was martial arts. Those who didn't understand the art simply saw it as a way to beat up someone with as little effort and damage done to you as possible.

This wasn't the art to Ranma. To Ranma it was poetry in motion, an escape from the stresses in his life; in many ways it was his life. He lived for the art, to learn it, improve it and he eventually hoped to teach it. However, he wanted to wait a while before he taught the art to someone. He still had a lot to learn himself, and he couldn't do that if he was teaching others. You couldn't be the best if you were concentrating on others after all.

He heard the door open and had a look over while still doing his kata. It was Dr Tofu, and he was standing by the door holding an official looking brown envelope. Somehow Ranma knew what would be inside that envelope, it was what he had been waiting for. It was the truth about his parentage.

* * *

Authors Note

Well here we are folks, the truth is about to come out. What will Ranma do? Will he confront Genma or will he keep it to himself? Will he stay at the dojo? Will bunnies in pink tutus rob my house? Most of these questions answered in the next chapter.

YAAAAAAYYYYY!!! (Two puppets appear on authors shoulders), "Law-kun is the greatest", "Law-kun is the best". I've past the 100 review mark! Thanks for sending in all of your reviews it is really appreciated. For this number of reviews to be sent in then it obviously means that I'm doing something right, it's giving me great confidence in my abilities. I know I am far from being the best out there, but I hope 'Lost and Found' is will at least be mentioned as a good story.

I am disappointed in how little you have been paying attention to what I write though. Last chapter I asked what Ryoko's powers were and if there were any that I had left out. While some had mentioned that I had made a couple of errors, no one told me that I had left out the fact that Ryoko could do energy blasts, one of her well known attacks. Shame on you!

And for those that are worried that this is a 'Ranma is God' fic, I don't plan on giving him so many power ups that it becomes stupid. I do like the odd 'god' fic, ('path of chaos' being my favourite), but after a while it seems boring. So the Sayajin influence is going to be very minimal, only mentioned once or twice in the rest of the story, if that.

Washu will be a bit less OCC from now on. As I have said earlier I needed her to spill the beans, and the best opportunity to do so would be if it got too much for her. If people think that the characters are a bit OOC then please forgive me, all the research in the world can't replace watching the show. The problem is that the T.V here doesn't show that much Tenchi, only the odd repeated episode. I like Tenchi/Ranma fics though, so I decided to do one.

Anyway, there has been a lot of response questioning my sanity when Sasami named Ranma 'Ryoga'. Firstly the Tenchi gang will call him Ranma with only a few mentions of being called Ryoga, and secondly I do have a reason for choosing Ryoga as a name. Read the next chapter to find out why.

Anyway, for this chapter I want to see even more reviews, so keep sending them in.


	7. Chapter six

Ranma finished his kata and after rubbing the sweat from his face walked up to Tofu with a questioning look on his face. The doctor saw it and understood what it meant.

"Yes Ranma, these are the test results," said Tofu while holding out an envelope. Ranma hesitated slightly before grasping it in his hands. He didn't open it though. This was the last chance for him to back out; he could simply tear up the envelope right here and right now and forget about.

"You should know that the only person who knows the results Ranma is myself. Even the people who did the test only know how the two samples relate to each other; they have no idea who the samples came from. If you wish to you could tear them apart right now and forget the whole thing. Whatever happens, as your doctor I will keep this information to myself as long as you want me to."

Ranma was wrong though, he couldn't forget it. It would always haunt him that he didn't know his past, that there was something about himself that he would never know. Besides which he had asked Tofu to do the test, and he had even paid for it. He couldn't simply throw these results away now, not after the doctor's kindness towards him. Deciding his course of action, Ranma opened the envelope and read what was inside.

"Erm doc, what does all this mean?"

"Oh I'm sorry Ranma, that's all the data that people like me find useful. What you are looking for is next to the line 'comparison between samples A and B' I believe."

Ranma looked to the part that the doctor had indicated and read out what it said out loud.

"'The relation ship between the two samples is negative', what does that mean doc?"

"Ranma, that means that Nodoka Saotome is not your real mother."

Inside the house...

Kasumi was worried. Ever since Ranma had gone to his mother's house a week ago he had been different. He was now withdrawn, contemplative and quiet. He wasn't the same Ranma that Kasumi knew and loved; this Ranma had something wrong with him. The worst part was that Kasumi had no idea how to help him; she didn't want to ask him since it was none of her business, but she couldn't help if she didn't know what was troubling him.

After Nabiki's talk a week ago, Kasumi had made the decision to tell Ranma about her feelings for him. Nabiki had been right; if she didn't tell him then there would be no chance of getting to know him better. He would be concentrating on trying to get out of the fiancée mess instead of looking for any relationships with other woman. If she at least told him when he was in a good mood then he would at least know how she felt about him.

The problem had been that he hadn't been a good mood all week, not allowing her the chance to have a talk with him. She would have to be patient she told herself, when he was feeling better then she could tell him. In the meantime she would have to be the friend that she had been for him all this time, that would have to do for now.

Currently she was cooking a very familiar meal, it was her favourite actually. It was Prawn Tempura with Udan noodles and Miso soup on the side. She hoped that it would be able to cheer him up like it normally did.

Inside the dojo...

It wasn't that much of a surprise to Ranma; he had thought that this had been the case for a week now. He was surprised at how he felt about it though; he had expected to feel blasé about it since it was what he had been expecting. Instead he felt a small amount of pain. It was true; he really wasn't a part of a family. What was he going to do now? He didn't have a clue. Well he didn't know what to do except for one thing.

"Doc, I'm going to talk to Genma about this, could you be there with me. I don't fancy the idea of doing this alone."

"Of course I will Ranma." With that said the two entered the house, one pondering how he was going to do this, the other there hoping he could provide the necessary support.

When they were inside Ranma asked Tofu to go into the main room with the others while he went to the kitchen. Once Tofu had entered the main room, Ranma headed to where Kasumi hopefully was. He needed Tofu to have all of his marbles this evening, and that meant keeping Kasumi out of his visible range.

As expected she was at the stove cooking the family meal. "Hey Kasumi, how's the meal going?"

"Oh, its fine Ranma. I've prepared all of the ingredients and all I have to do is cook them."

"That's good Kasumi. Erm, would it be alright if you delayed the meal for a while, I kind of have to say something to the family that cant wait, and it may take a while"

"Oh my, is it really that important Ranma? It is unlike you to want to delay your meal."

"Yeah it is kinda important. Look, could you stay in the kitchen to listen to this, Dr Tofu's here and he will react badly if you're around."

"You think so Ranma, what did I ever do to get him mad at me?" asked Kasumi.

"Heh heh, you didn't do anything wrong Kasumi, he just reacts a bit weird when you're around. I need him to be aware of his surroundings today, and if you turn up then he wont be."

"Oh my, I never knew. O.k. Ranma, I'll stay in the kitchen."

"Thanks Kas-chan, you're the greatest" with that said Ranma walked towards the main room, leaving a slightly flustered Kasumi behind.

"He called me Kas-chan!!" Sigh.

Ranma entered the main room and took notice of where everyone was seated. Genma and Soun were at the shoji table cheating as usual, Dr Tofu had found a place to stand with his back to the Kitchen (to Ranma's relief), and Ryoga, the other Tendo sisters and Nodoka were all seated in front of the television watching a soap.

Well, no time like the present and all that. "Ahem, guys I have to say something important, so could you all listen for a minute" 

"This had better be important Saotome, I was watching this" grumped Nabiki as she turned her attention to the pig tailed boy.

"What does the stupid pervert want now?" mumbled Akane.

"Yes son, I would like to know what this about," inquired Nodoka.

"I am sure that if you are patient that you will find out," said Dr Tofu. As Ranma turned to thank him for the help he saw a slightly blushing Kasumi waiting at the door to the kitchen, not that he noticed the blush of course.

"Yes well, you see...um" stammerd Ranma.

"Get on with it you foolish boy, your wasting our time," said Genma, not taking his eyes if the board. He didn't plan on giving Soun an opportunity that easily.

That got Ranma all straightened out. "I found out that I'm not Genma or Nodoka's son.

**That** got everyone's attention. Soun and Genma both looked up from the board, the former with shock on his face and the latter was sweating heavily. Nabiki looked at him with scepticism on her face, while Akane simply glared at him and wondered if this was something perverted he had planned or not. Kasumi had to lean heavily against the doorframe. Ryoga gained a triumphant smile on his face at the thought of his competion suddenly disappearing. Nodoka's expression kept changing from shock, guilt and some anger.

"Son what are you talking about? I thought I told you to stop thinking stuff like that, I can assure you that you really are my son" reprimanded Nodoka.

"Not according to the DNA test I had done last week. According to the results Nodoka isn't my mother, so I can't be the real Ranma Saotome.

Nabiki was the first to get herself together enough to talk again. "Would you care to explain what is going on Ranma? I thought you just said that you weren't Ranma Saotome."

"That's because I'm not."

"What do you mean you're not?" asked Soun, "I was there at your birth, you have to be Saotome's child, right Saotome?"

Everyone turned to where Genma was, only to find him sneaking towards the back yard using all the stealth his fat body could achieve without using the umisen-ken.

"Oh my, look at the time Tendo! I have to...um...go get takeout. See ya." He made an attempt to run for it, only to find that he couldn't move a muscle.

"There we go, the full body paralysation pressure point. You won't be going anywhere until I let you. The only thing you can move is your head, which is useful since you have a lot of explaining to" said Tofu.

Gulp. "Now now Tofu, why did you have to do a thing like that, eh?"

"Because I suspect that you may have taken a child away from his family just because you somehow lost your original son. Now stay there until we are ready for you"

"Now Ranma, I think you had better tell us the whole story. And don't leave any of the facts out either, you are going to tell us everything that lead to this little show of yours" said Nabiki. Ranma nodded to her and began to tell his story.

Half an hour later he finished. The whole house was silent, trying to make sense of what they had been told. Ranma wasn't really Ranma? The child that Nodoka had given birth to had somehow been replaced with Ranma around the time that he had learned to walk? This was serious, it was only Nabiki and Tofu who knew exactly how serious, but for now they kept their silence, they had another story to listen to after all.

"Ranma, can I have a look at those test results?" asked Nabiki.

"Sure Nabiki, here you go," said Ranma as he handed Nabiki the envelope with the results in it. He then turned to the heavily sweating Genma.

"So 'Pop', care to tell us where you found me?"

Genma was in pain. A hell of a lot of pain. He had been in the same position for the last half an hour, standing up in his own puddle of sweat while trying to urge his body to flee from the inevitable torture his wife was going to give him. How the hell had they found out anyway, it had been a foolproof plan and had lasted for 16 years? Now because the boy got too smart for his own good Genma was in trouble, and this time he couldn't find any way out of it.

"I don't know where you got all this nonsense from Ranma me boy, of course you're my son. Now stop this foolishness and free me from this pressure point."

"I don't think so Genma," growled Ranma, "Not until you tell the truth. And don't think that we wont know that you're lying either"

"You know, I think I've forgotten about it after all these years, it must have just slipped my mind, heh heh."

"Oh I think I can help you remember Genma, all I have to do is consult a couple of books in my clinic that describe painful pressure points and I can have you remembering fast enough" said Dr Tofu in a menacing voice that just didn't suit him that well to any who knew him.

"Now I come to think of it I remember the day in complete detail, I must have been thinking of something else that I've forgotten" squirmed Genma.

"Just talk Genma," snapped Nabiki.

"O.k. this is what happened..."

Flashback

A tall, thin, bishonen man with a head full of hair is fighting over a hundred foes single handily, the reason is that an evil villain had taken his son and the son of a poor village maiden, the villain had raped and killed her when she had resisted. Genma, for we recognise the hero as he, had sworn that he would gain revenge for the poor maiden's death and was distributing rightful justice to the followers of the shadowy man. In no time at all he had beaten the hundred or so men, and was about to attack the dark samurai. He stared in horror as he saw the evil ninja kill his son in cold blood right in front of his eyes, with no remorse at all.

"In the name of the moon, I will punish you! For such crimes to humanity, prepare to die a death of a thousand men!" he screamed.

Genma finished his dramatic speech and was about to make a majestic leap to defeat the evil eight headed Youma, when all of a sudden...

End Flashback

WHAM

"Hey what did you do that for" cried Genma from his position on the floor.

"I wanted the truth you stupid panda, not some cheesy anime story! Now tell the truth or you're going to get more of that" yelled Ranma.

"Is that any way to respect your elders boy?"

"Just get on with it!"

"O.k. fine, it really happened like this. When Ranma, the real Ranma, was young I took the boy for a short walk..."

True Flashback

"Come on Ranma you're going to slow!" bellowed Genma.

Genma was truly ashamed of his son right now. He had been walking for a week now and he kept crying at a simple two-mile hike in the countryside. Why did he have to be cursed with such a weak and feeble son? Not only was he weak, but he couldn't walk in a straight line to save his life. He kept heading off in some random direction, and if it weren't for Genma's alert reflexes his son would have walked under a bus already. What he hated most of all about his son was that he had a fierce temper. He always seemed to be having a crying fit, sometimes over the stupidest of things.

Eventually his son fell down and started crying for what seemed like the hundredth time. This time no matter what Genma tried he couldn't get the boy to get up again, so it looked like this is where they would be stopping for lunch.

As Genma looked around he had to admit that it was a reasonable place to stop for a lunch break. They were currently in the centre of a large field that stretched for at least a kilometre on all sides; the view they were given was beautiful for those who appreciate those kind of things. More importantly to Genma was the fact that the ground was dry and soft, no hard rocks to make things uncomfortable for him.

Genma started on his lunch, every now and then feeding Ranma the slop that was called 'baby food'. The only reason that Ranma actually ate anything today was that Genma found the stuff disgusting.

Eventually all the food was gone, his son had fallen asleep, and Genma was still hungry. It would be a couple of hours before he ate any of his wife's delicious cooking, and that was a couple of hours too late. He was hungry NOW damnit.

He turned from where he sat as he heard people approaching. A tall, powerfully built man was approaching Genma's position. He was drabbed in worn travellers clothes that covered all but his hands and face, his black hair only just visible under his cloak. On his back was a large pack that was a testament to the strength of the man, while on his front was a young child sound asleep in a baby carrier. Strapped to the pack was a plastic bucket with a cloth hanging over the side. Genma assessed his threat level automatically as he had done since his training with the master, and found it to be minimal; it was always good to be prepared after all.

The stranger approached Genma and greeted him. "Hello friend, it's a fine day to go walking isn't it?"

"Erm, yeah sure" grunted Genma.

"Well, by beautiful daughter sure is enjoying it, well she would if she hadn't fallen asleep already" chuckled the stranger, "I guess the excitement got too much for her eh? Oh how rude of me, the name's Kenichi Ogata, what's yours friend?"

"Genma Saotome, and the boy's called Ranma"

"Ranma eh?" asked Kenichi as he looked over at the sleeping boy, "Looks like a strong lad you've got there Genma, he'll make someone a fine husband someday."

Yes he will. Tendo, someday the schools will be united. Oh happy days! 

The two fathers sat together as they watched the view, making the odd comment to each other about themselves and their lives. After a while Kenichi made a proposition.

"You know Genma, I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and the feelings I got about you tell me that you are a good sort of person. How would like to join our two families by getting our children engaged?"

"Well I would like to, but you see..." Genma couldn't allow Ranma to be engaged to anyone other that a Tendo, his family's personal honour depended on it.

"I knew you would like the idea old friend. You know, every decision that I've made had revolved around my little Sakura since she has been born. It's not as if I doubt that she will be able to find a husband of her own when she is older..."

_Of course not you stupid idiot _thought Genma as he looked over at his still sleeping son momentarily.

"... but it will be so much easier for her if I was to find a suitable heir to the family art of martial arts window cleaning at such a young age. If you would allow the engagement then the future of my art would be assured" said Kenichi. In the background Ranma was slowly waking up from his afternoon nap.

"You see, I don't think that..." protested Genma. Ranma was now standing up.

"Of course I would provide you with this backpack full of food as a dowry."

"...I can refuse such a generous offer as that! O.k. I accept, in the future our two families will be joined." It wasn't as if he couldn't steal Ranma back, he was a master of anything goes martial arts after all. Maybe he could continue doing this later on, he had thought that the Dasuke's were a one off, but it seemed there were more people out there that had no faith in their daughter's ability to find a man.

"That's great news! Now only one question needs to be answered before I give you Sakura's dowry."

"What's that?" asked an eager Genma.

"Where's your son?"

"Why he's over there..." said Genma, only to realise that he wasn't. Ranma had disappeared from sight. It had only been a few moments since Genma had last seen him sleeping, and now he had disappeared from a clearing that spread for a kilometre in all directions. Where the hell had he gone?

End Flashback

"...and that is how I lost my original son Ranma. One minute he was there, the next he wasn't."

"How the hell could you loose your own son in an open field like that?" exclaimed Akane.

"I don't know, I looked in that field for a whole hour, and in the surrounding area for another two. He had just disappeared from the face of the earth; there was no way that he could have left through the gate or the fence since he was too small. It has remained a mystery to me ever since."

"So that's how it happened Genma, I had often wondered what you did to my child."

"You mean you knew all this time?" asked Genma. He didn't get it, why hadn't his wife killed him?

"Of course I knew, a mother does know the difference between her son and another child when only a single day has passed since you saw him last. I decided to keep it to myself when I knew you hadn't brought back my child since at least this way I would have a son. Otherwise I would have to have either divorced you or made you commit sepuka, neither of those was a real option."

Well, it seems the doc was right about mom...I mean Nodoka, she did know. 

"I have to say Ranma," continued Nodoka, "I'm highly disappointed that you would go behind my back like this. Didn't I tell you that you should have forgotten the whole thing?"

"What! Why would I not want to know something like this? Do you really think I don't deserve to know if you're my parents or not? I could have come from anyone, anywhere."From the way that Nodoka was talking, it was almost as if the fact that Ranma knew of his heritage didn't matter at all, just the fact that he had defied her wishes.

He then turned to Genma's frozen form and continued, "Which reminds me, whose family did you take me from anyway Genma? How did I get involved in all of this?" questioned Ranma.

"The truth is boy that I didn't take you from anyone. You see it happened like this..."

Flashback

Genma was worried. No scratch that he was shitting himself.

"Nodoka is going to kill me!"

He had no idea how to resolve this situation in a manner that wouldn't mean loosing his head. He knew that his wife wouldn't be happy that he had lost their son. No not happy at all. His wife was obsessed about honour, and was to say the least enthusiastic about that damn sword of hers. Didn't matter that she couldn't use it to save her life (quite useful with a sword really), she would still swing it around with gusto. Luckily for him his wife may have been obsessed about honour, but she was also an idiot. It was the reason he married her (as well as the sex and the food, she was a mean cook). She could produce an heir and allow him to train him in the art while doing all the work herself.

Now however he could use his wife's idiocy to his benefit. If he could find a young boy of similar age and appearance to his son then the situation may be recoverable. The baby wouldn't have to be identical, male was definite, but otherwise he didn't mind. He would allow a couple of differences. It would just mean that he might have to take the child on a training trip of some sort before his wife noticed.

The first place to look would obviously be the park, as it was close to his current location, and then the Hospital would be next. Plenty of babies there, he could even swap a live one with a stillbirth if he was lucky. No one important would notice the difference. Action decided, he headed to the park to see if there were any unsuspecting babies that could be taken.

Well, he would have, but at that moment a large flaming object came out of the sky and caused him to take cover behind a convenient rock. The explosion from its landing make the earth shake momentarily before everything calmed down. After a moment Genma stood up from his hiding place to see what had just happened.

The strange object had settled in a large crater in the ground, a long trench had shown were it had crashed into the ground. Genma took the chance to study it closer. By the time he got close enough it was easy to recognise it as some strange metal box, slightly taller and wider that he was. It was also slightly scratched from the impact it had made in the ground, but surprisingly not a total wreak like he had expected after such a landing. There wasn't much more that could be said about it, but Genma had come to a conclusion quickly.

_This must be some high tech satellite or something; if I can claim it then I'll be able to sell it back to whoever owns it for a fortune._

His child quickly forgotten, Genma leapt into the crater to claim his prize. Excited over his find he grabbed at suitable handholds and attempted to drag the metal from the hole.

CLUNK. "YOW!!"

Only attempted, because due to the scolding temperature the metal was still at from entering the atmosphere his hands were suddenly in agony. Also a large door had swung open upon Genma making contact with it, smacking him on the head. Cursing and bemoaning the existence of every god he knew of while waving his hands in the air to cool them off, he decided to find out what had caused him such a headache. He examined the contents of the strange object and grinned at what appeared to be the answer to his earlier dilemma.

"You'll do nicely"

End Flashback

"...and that's how I found Ranma here."

Everyone in the house just stared at Genma with disbelief on their faces.

"So you're saying that you found Ranma in some type of spaceship?" asked Nabiki, sceptically.

"Yes I did. I know it sounds unbelievable, but..."

"It's unbelievable because it's a load of bull shit?" yelled Ranma. How could Genma think that anyone would believe that rubbish was beyond him?

"Its true I tell you! I found Ranma in a spaceship of some kind and took him as my own. I thought it must have been some kind of project from the Americans or something where they sent babies into space for tests. I swear its all true!"

"If it is true Genma then where is this spaceship of yours?" asked Nabiki, who was starting to read the test results in detail.

"Well I kind of sold it to a junk yard, they gave me 1000 yen for it! It was quite a good deal I thought."

"Of all the stories you've told Genma, this has to be the worst of them," said Nodoka, clearly fuming at her husband.

"Why don't you believe me No-chan, can't you trust me...zzzzzzz"

"I don't think that we will be able to get anything useful out of him today" said Dr Tofu after knocking Genma out with a pressure point.

"How could he think that we would believe that crap anyway, I mean it's totally stupid" fumed Ranma.

"Oh I have no doubt that Genma thought he was telling the truth"

"HUH?"

Tofu continued, "I said he probably believes that's what happened. What would be my guess is that Genma got drunk when he had lost his son and came across a pram with a baby inside. In his drunken state of mind he may have assumed that it was a spaceship to help ease some of the guilt."

Everyone gathered nodded their heads in agreement, that seemed likely. Once Nabiki finished reading the results she looked up at Dr Tofu questionably.

"Auntie, did you adopt Ranma into your family or did you just take him as your own son?" asked Nabiki.

"I just took him as my own, why do you want to know Nabiki?"

"Well the thing is that he wasn't placed on the Saotome register, in fact he's probably on another families register instead. Since he isn't on your register, that means he isn't really a Saotome, and therefore he doesn't have to marry Akane since the pledge to join the families doesn't apply to him. In fact it would probably apply to most of the engagements that Mr Saotome placed on Ranma as well."

"WAAAAAA!!! The schools wont be joined, WAAAA!!!" Guess who.

"You mean I don't have to marry the pervert?" asked Akane.

"Nope. Well done sis, you don't have to marry Ranma anymore, you're a free woman!"

"Yes, I don't have to put up with him anymore!" said Akane, putting as much cheer into her voice as possible. For some reason she didn't feel that happy right now. Nabiki shook her head at her younger sister's stubbornness and finished reading the test results.

"Doctor Tofu, could you help me with something?"

"Why yes Nabiki, what do you need help with? I know those things can be awfully complicated."

"Well, it's just that there's two sets of results, do you know what they mean?"

"Yes I do Nabiki, in fact that's one of the other reasons that I came personally today instead of just giving Ranma the results in the post."

Dr Tofu walked over to Nabiki and took the results from her; he then gave her an explanation. "You see, once Ranma had given me the test samples I sent them to the lab where the test would happen. They took Nodoka's hair sample and compared it to the other sample."

"What do you mean my hair? Where did you get it?" asked Nodoka.

"Ranma gave it to me" Dr Tofu answered simply. "However there was a problem with Ranma's sample, there were two hairs that belonged to two different people. We couldn't tell which hair was Ranma's when we tested them both, only to find they weren't from the same person, so I eventually had to ask Ranma for another hair sample."

"So that was the problem you told me about!" said Ranma.

"Yes, that was it exactly. So anyway, once they got Ranma's second sample they were able to identify it perfectly with one of the samples from earlier."

"I don't get it Dr Tofu," said Akane, "even if both of the samples were from different people then why did they need a second sample from Ranma? If Ranma isn't a Saotome then surly both of the results would have shown that they weren't related to Nodoka, so there would be no need to do a second test."

"But they didn't Akane" stated Nabiki. "From what I remember reading one of those results came back as a positive match, which means that one of those hairs belonged to someone who was related to Nodoka."

"But that's impossible! The last of my family died 5 years ago, I'm the only person from my clan left" said Nodoka.

"Everyone but your son Nodoka" said Dr Tofu.

"You mean there's still a chance that he's alive after all this time?" questioned Nodoka, a desperate look on her face.

"Well its highly possible. You see the results matched so closely that only either your parents or your son could have be the source of the sample. Since your parents are dead, it is likely that is your son" answered Tofu, who then glanced at Ryoga.

The lost boy was thinking to himself about his glorious triumph over Ranma. _YES! Ranma isn't a Saotome. Soon Akane will be mine! Yes, Yes, Yes, wait a minute... didn't the doc just say that the sample came from her son? That means that if they manage to find him then Akane will have to marry him! Oh well, it's a good thing its not me, I mean to find out Genma's your father! That would be a nightmare. I wonder who the poor sod is whose hair was mixed...with...Ranma's... _Suddenly Ryoga realised where the other hair had come from_...Oh crap!!_

Seeing Ryoga's face change from mirth to terror, Dr Tofu guessed that he had worked it out. Still, the others hadn't guessed yet, that just meant he was going to have to give them a clue. "The thing is, the samples were sealed as soon Ranma left my clinic, and weren't opened until they reached the lab. The other sample could only have come from someone who was there when Ranma gave me his sample, someone other than myself or Ranma."

"That's crazy doc," exclaimed Ranma, "the only people who were there were you, me, and...Ryoga!" Everyone had come to the right conclusion at the same time, and turned to look at the slightly twitching Ryoga.

"But that means that Ryoga is really Genma's son!" said Akane.

Ryoga chose that moment to decide he didn't want to be around right now, and promptly fainted.

"Doctor, are you saying that Ryoga is really my son?" asked Nodoka, hope showing on her face.

"Without another DNA test I cant be completely sure, but it seems likely yes."

Nodoka didn't waste a moment, glomping onto Ryoga's unconscious form and yelled in celebration, "WAAAAA!!! My son as returned to me at last!!!"

"WAAAA, the schools can be reunited after all! With Ryoga being Saotome's son then the future of the dojo is secured when he marries Akane!"

"WHAT?"

Mr Tendo ignored his youngest daughter and continued celebrating. "When Ryoga recovers then we can tell him the good news, he can move into Ranma's old room tonight and then we can have the wedding tomorrow. Oh happy days!" He then started dancing around the room waving around victory fans.

"What do you mean I've got to marry Ryoga, I cant marry him he's my a friend. I can't believe your trying to get me married again!"

"But Akane, this is for the honour of the anything goes school of martial arts. If you were to marry Ryoga then the dojo's future is secure!"

"How father?" screamed Akane, "He gets lost in a room with one door on it!"

"Akane, don't those things about your fiancé" admonished Nodoka, who was still cradling Ryoga's still form.

"And besides he doesn't even know anything goes. How is he going to join the two schools if he doesn't even know one of them?" continued Akane.

"Well that's not a problem," yelped Soun, "he's a bright boy, all we have to do is get Saotome to teach him the Saotome branch of anything goes, isn't that right Saotome?"

"...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

"Oh he's unconscious, I'd forgotten."

"Wait a minute, did you say he's moving in to Ranma's 'old' room?" asked Nabiki.

"Yes that's right Nabiki. If Ranma was to stay here then a lot of friction would be created in the household, it is my duty as head of the household to ensure that harmony still exists here."

"You mean you're going to chuck him out?" yelled Nabiki.

"Well of course, it's the only way to ensure that Akane and Ryoga marry. I'm sure that Ranma will understand, right Ranma?"

Only Ranma wasn't there.

"Where's Ranma gone?" asked Akane.

_And where's Kasumi?_ thought Nabiki.

Earlier

"Doctor, are you saying that Ryoga is really my son?" asked Nodoka, hope showing on her face.

"Without another DNA test I can't be completely sure, but it seems likely yes."

Ranma watched, as Nodoka didn't waste a moment and glomped onto Ryoga's unconscious form, yelling in celebration, "WAAAAA My son as returned to me at last!!!"

_Don't I feel special. _Ranma had never received treatment like that from Nodoka in all the time he had known her, when she had discovered who 'Ranko' really was she had never shown this much joy. Ranma doubted that she would ever show anything close to affection now that she had found her son. What was worse was that it was RYOGA of all people who was really her son. He was being replaced by his main rival!

He then was started out of his thoughts when he heard another scream. "WAAAA, the schools can be reunited after all! With Ryoga being Saotome's son then the future of the dojo is secured when he marries Akane!"

"WHAT?" _WHAT?_

Mr Tendo ignored his youngest daughter and continued celebrating. "When Ryoga recovers then we can tell him the good news, he can move into Ranma's old room tonight and then we can have the wedding tomorrow. Oh happy days!" He then started dancing around the room.

Ranma just stood there in shock at what he had just heard, the words refusing to be fully understood straight away. His old room? Did that mean he was getting chucked out? It was like a train crash, it kept getting worse and worse the longer it lasted. Ranma didn't think he could stand this, he had to get out of there as quickly as possible. He turned around and silently headed up the stairs, only pausing to give a quick nod in thanks to Dr Tofu. No one else saw him leave, except a single person who decided to quickly follow after him.

Ranma arrived in his room, his old room anyway, and started packing all his stuff into his backpack. All to soon it he was finished, and the situation slowly managed to fully dawn on him.

He had lost everything just now. First he had lost his fiancée, then he had lost his family, and now he had lost his home. Worst of all he had lost himself, he wasn't Ranma Saotome, that was who Ryoga was. Ranma didn't know who he was, but he wasn't really Ranma was he? Who was he, he could be anyone. Did he deserve to call himself Ranma anymore?

It seemed that Ryoga had succeeded after all. Ryoga had managed to take everything from him, family, fiancée, home, he had even taken away his name. Why did have to be Ryoga of all people, it just wasn't fair. Ranma had wanted to know the truth so that he could stop thinking these sorts of questions, now it was all he was doing.

Well anyway, he couldn't stay here any longer since he was no longer welcome. He picked his bag up and opened the window to his room for possible the last time. As he was about to jump out he heard someone cry out to him.

"No Ranma, please don't leave!"

Kasumi, Ranma could recognise her voice anywhere. He turned and saw her standing in the doorway, worry and, was that fear on her face?

"Hey Kasumi"

"Ranma, please don't leave." Kasumi walked into the room and stopped right in front of Ranma.

"I have to Kasumi, you heard what your father said, this is my 'old room', he's giving it to Ryoga as soon as he wakes up."

"You don't have to go just like that, please wait for a while before you leave at least. You never know, you may want be able to stay here after all."

"I can't stay here Kasumi, today I've lost everything, even my name. I have no idea who I am, but I know I'm not Ranma Saotome."

"You don't mean that do you Ranma?"

"Ranma Saotome is downstairs in his mother's arms.

"No he's not; Ranma Saotome is standing in front of me right now. Ryoga may be Nodoka's son, but he is still Ryoga. Just because you are not really a Saotome it does not mean that you are a different person to who was a week ago."

"Kasumi, I would like to think that's true but I can't be sure. So much of who I am has been taken away from me; I have to find out who I am, and I can't do that here. I have to be on my own to think for a while, which means I have to leave."

"I suppose you have to go then, but you will be coming back right?"

".........."

"Ranma, you will be coming back?" asked Kasumi in a slightly panicked voice. She didn't know what she would do if he left her.

"...I don't know Kasumi; there isn't enough room in Nerima for two of me, and with Ryoga living here I'm not sure I would be too welcome."

"Don't say that Ranma, you'll always be welcome here. I would really miss you if you never came back" said Kasumi, fidgeting slightly under Ranma's gaze.

"Thanks for saying that, but I don't think it would be possible." He walked back to the window and gave a backward glance towards his companion. "Good bye Kas-chan, thanks for being my friend while I was here. Give my thanks to your father as well for the hospitality."

_He called me it again!_ Kasumi didn't know why she did it, but the sight of Ranma leaving made her desperate. She leaped towards him and caught him in a glomp that would put Shampoo to shame.

"Ranma wait, take me with you!"

"Huh" asked Ranma as he quickly turned around in her hug and stared at Kasumi. The close contact with her was starting to make him feel nervous.

Kasumi took a deep breath and repeated, "Ranma, take me with you."

"No way! I'm not taking you with me Kasumi and that's final!"

"Why not Ranma?" asked Kasumi as she released Ranma. "You're the only person who has treated me as a person since my mother died, if you leave then I'll be alone again."

"You're not alone Kasumi, what about your sisters and father, or Dr Tofu?"

"I know my family loves me, but they just see me as a part of the background. They never try to help out with the chores, except when Akane tries to cook. As for Dr Tofu, he is a sweet man, but I can't really talk to him without him doing something silly. You have tried to be there for me, you listened to me when no one else would, and because of that you're my greatest friend. If you have to leave then I want to go with you, I would miss you too much if I didn't."

Sigh. "But Kasumi I can't take you with me. You wouldn't like living on the streets, trust me I know what its like. You would be much better off living here at the dojo than living in a tent. I'll be struggling to get enough food for myself, if there were two of us then we wouldn't get enough to eat without me having to steal."

Kasumi tried to convince Ranma one more time. "Please Ranma, let me go with you. I have gone camping before so tents aren't that new to me, and I can cook really well." She even gave him the puppy dog eye look just to add to the effect.

Ranma was almost convinced by the incredibly cute girl in front of him, but he knew the right thing to do. "Kasumi I'm sorry but I can't take you. You wouldn't be able to survive out on the road, I'm sorry. Good bye Kasumi." He then turned around and headed to the window.

Kasumi watched him, trying to think of a way to keep him here. Eventually she decided she would have to tell him the truth, she might be able to persuade him then.

"Ranma wait!"

Sigh. "What is it now Kasumi?" asked Ranma. His will to want to leave was weakening, if he was going to do it then he had to do it soon.

Kasumi looked into his beautiful blue eyes and willed the words past her lips. "Ranma I have to tell you something. I L...I Lo...I Lo..."

"Yes Kasumi, what is it?" asked Ranma, giving her a quizative look.

"I...em I Lo... I would like you to promise me something" sighed Kasumi as her nerve broke.

"Erm, yeah sure Kas-chan. What is it?"

"Erm... if you ever stop somewhere for more than a few days could you please write or call me and tell me where you are. I would be really worried if I didn't know what happened."

"O.k. Kas-chan, I promise. If I stop anywhere long enough I'll write to ya." Smiled Ranma. He then turned around again, and this time made it through the window.

_Sigh. I wonder if he realises that he called me Kas-chan._ Kasumi stood facing the window for quite some time, and it wasn't until Nabiki entered that she looked away.

"Hey Kasumi, you haven't seen Ranma have you?" asked Nabiki.

"No Nabiki, he left earlier" sighed Kasumi.

"He left already? That was quick, I feel sorry for the guy. He must have heard what father was planning for him." Nabiki gave a sideways glance at Kasumi and then asked, "Did you tell him how you feel?"

Sigh. "No I didn't. I tried, but I chickened out. I couldn't do it to him, he was looking at me with those sad eyes of his when I asked him to go with me, and I knew that if I told him then he would think that I was taking advantage of him."

"Oh for crying out loud sis, I thought you were one of the cleaver ones. He's gone now, probably for good, and you'll probably never get another chance to tell him."

"Don't worry, I managed to get him to promise to call me if he ever planned to stay anywhere for more than a few days, that way I can at least still be friends."

"Heh, I knew I wasn't the only one in the family with brains sis. Now come downstairs, auntie finished cooking dinner and its ready now."

Once the two sisters arrived at the table they rewarded with a table filled food. Nodoka had seen what Kasumi had wanted to cook and had created it perfectly. Everyone except Genma, Ryoga and Dr Tofu were waiting patiently for the meal to begin, the doctor had left for the clinic while the Panda and the pig were still unconcious. As they were about to dig in, a purple blur appeared and sat down at the table, taking the form of the grandmaster of anything goes martial arts. He had a slight tan, and was wearing a 'Miss high school cheerleader 2003' cap, as well as a broad smile.

"Oh I had a great time on my trip, those girlies sure knew how to dance." He looked around and saw that something was slightly different than the norm, he just couldn't place it.

"So, anything happen while I was away?"

Author's note

That was one EVIL chapter to write. I had to write it two or three times before I got it even close to how I want it, this version being the result.

Anyway, I'm amazed that I got so many reviews for that last chapter, double what I was expecting. Everyone is appreciated, even the ones telling me I cant write to save my life, (well, maybe not those ones so much). Keep sending them in, I want to reach 200 reviews ASAP.

O.k, is anyone surprised that no one believed Genma? What would you say if he told you that he found you in a spaceship? More importantly, is Genma telling the whole truth? And as for Kasumi being left behind, it was always going to happen.

Maybe I made the whole 'Ryoga is Ranma' thing a bit too obvious. It was just that the idea of Ryoga really being Ranma Saotome and Ranma really being Ryoga Hakubi (sounds similar to Hibiki don't it?) was too good to turn down. And for those people who are worried about Ranma being called 'Ryoga Hakubi', read the author's notes on chapter 5, or better yet let me reasure you. Ryoga is mainly going to be called Ryoga, and Ranma is going to be called Ranma (with only a small comment every now and then about him being called Ryoga).

Just two more things, firstly if anyone can tell me the significance of me using the name 'Kenichi Ogata' then I'll name then in the next chapter. Wop de do! (Sarcasm level off the scale). Also when I wrote Genma's fake flashback it was meant to have Genma calling the villain all those different things, he was trying to impress the audience with heroism. ('In the name of the moon!' LOL, I laughed myself stupid when I wrote that.)


	8. Chapter seven

A forlorn figure walked the streets that night, wondering what he had done wrong that would have let the events go in such a disastrous direction. It had been like a train crash, he could see it coming a mile away, yet he couldn't do anything about it.

Dr Tofu cursed himself; he was a failure as a doctor and a friend. Ranma had trusted him to help him, to try and keep the situation under control. And what happened, he got chucked out and replaced once the truth was out.

He had known what the test results were, and he had known what that meant for both Ranma and Ryoga. He should have expected something like this to happen, but instead he just stood back and let it happen. How could he look himself in the mirror? Ranma was no essentially a ronin, a person who had no family or place in society. He would find it exceptionally hard to find a job with that hanging over him, and it would be even harder when you consider that he hadn't even finished high school yet. While he had immense skill as a martial artist, he didn't have the qualifications to teach, he wasn't a master of his school (though he had the skills for it) and he didn't have any school qualifications.

In short Ranma was screwed, and it was all his fault.

Hopefully he may be able to make it up to the pigtailed martial artist when he next saw him. At the very least he would be offering a job with room and board, as well as possibly bringing him into his clan if Ranma was ok with the idea. He wouldn't force the idea on him, but if Ranma wanted to belong to a family then Tofu would be honoured to give him one.

At the Dojo

Akane sat in her room holding her stuffed pig close to her while thinking about the events that had happened earlier that day. Today had to have been the most life altering day she had come across in her life, with the possible exception of a rainy day a year ago when a panda and a red headed girl had turned up on their doorstep.

Since that day she had been engaged to Ranma due to a pledge of honour between their two fathers, a pledge that she was constantly reminded of. It had been the one constant in the last year of craziness, a year that she would never forget. No matter what happened, she was to marry Ranma to join the two schools of anything goes martial arts and ensure the future of the Tendo dojo. Throughout all the madness of the last year that never changed, she would marry him no matter what she thought about it.

Today all that changed. It turned out that Ranma wasn't really Genma's son, so she didn't have to marry him anymore. In fact she couldn't marry him; she was supposed to marry the real 'Ranma', which turned out to be Ryoga of all people. But how could she marry him? He was one of her best friends, it just didn't seem right.

_Baka, Baka, Baka, why did you have to take that stupid test anyway?_

It was all Ranma's fault. If he hadn't taken that stupid DNA test then everything would be back to normal. She would still be engaged to Ranma, who would still be living at the dojo, and her life wouldn't be turned upside down again.

Not that she 'liked' him or anything, he was just a stupid pervert, and a jerk, and an idiot, and …and she would never have married him, she would rather marry Genma (shudder) any day of the week than marry Ranma. What was worse was that Ranma left her like the coward he was, probably rushing of to his floosies again now that he didn't have to stay with her anymore. Knowing him he probably WANTED the test to show that he wasn't the real Ranma, that way he could go off with Shampoo and leave her all alone. He was probably over there right now, enjoying her food and enjoying her bed, the stupid pervert.

Rip

The stuffed toy pig she was holding was suddenly in two separate pieces, having been decapitated while Akane was dwelling on the possibilities on Ranma's whereabouts. Startled by the sudden destruction she had caused she went to her sewing kit to try to repair the damage. Luckily it was in two neat pieces so it would be easy to repair. It was a tough toy anyway; after all it had survived a lot of damage when she had first brought it. She remembered back to when Moose had first arrived in Nerima and had captured it while thinking that it was her, trying to get Ranma splashed with Yaazuniichuan …

Damn it she had to stop thinking about him! She wasn't engaged to Ranma anymore, now she had to marry Ryoga instead. It wasn't that he wasn't a nice guy, but this was Ryoga she was talking about! How could she marry him, it just felt all wrong.

How could her father do this to her? First he engages her to a boy that he's never seen before (except the day he was born) who turned out to be a GIRL half the time, and then he engages her to someone who could get lost in a room with one door. He was a nice guy, but she didn't see him as a person that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Besides, wasn't the whole point for the two schools to be joined? Ryoga could hardly do that when he didn't study anything goes.

So why did he do it? Was the joining of the schools so important to him that he would treat Akane as a tool, something that needed of be traded as some type of bargaining chip?

A thought suddenly hit Akane, a slightly disturbing thought. When everyone thought that Ranma was really the Saotome's son everyone loved him. The stupid pervert could do what he wanted, have as many fiancées coming to the house and destroying it as he wanted and he would still be allowed to live at the dojo. As soon as it was discovered that he wasn't really Genma's son he was chucked out, and Ryoga took his place.

Was it the same for her? If it turned out that she wasn't really a Tendo but a Kuonji or a Hibiki would she still be allowed to stay, to practice the art that was hers? Would she be chucked out like Ranma was, to be alone forever without a family?

NOOOOO, there was no way that would happen. She was definitely a Tendo she was just being paranoid. And besides, her father would never abandon her; he loved her too much to just leave on the side of the road like that.

Didn't he?

Akane didn't get much sleep that night.

Meanwhile

Ranma was walking through a brightly lit forest, admiring the sight and smell of the place. There was a feeling of contentment and peace that could be easily felt by Ranma. He had no idea how ling he had been walking, or how much longer he would walk, but he just kept on going all the same.

All of a sudden it became dark, the once peaceful atmosphere changed into one of dread and trepidation. Ranma paused in his stride, searching his surroundings to see if there was anything to worry about. His danger sense wasn't detecting anything, but it was still a good idea to be cautious.

He continued on the path, this time moving as stealthily as his training had allowed him, which was quite stealthy really. His cautious approach seemed justified when in the corner of his eye he spotted movement among the shadows of the trees. Falling back into a defensive stance Ranma waited for the person or thing to show themselves, he doubted it was an innocent forest creature.

After a couple of moments Ranma's doubts were spot on, as a figure slowly stepped out of the darkness into the dimly lit path.

"You know Ranma, it seems as I was right all along" stated the figure smugly. The figure was a head shorter that Ranma, and was wearing a body length cloak that hid the gender and any other clues about the person's identity.

"Who are ya, and what do ya mean by that?" asked Ranma. That voice sounded familiar, he just couldn't put a finger on it.

"I never wanted you at the dojo you know. You arrived and caused nothing but problems, if you never turned up then everyone would be a lot happier" stated the figure.

"Hey what do ya mean by that" yelled Ranma, unhappy at being ignored.

"Isn't it obvious? Because of you this town has gone to rot."

"What do you mean by that, we're not in a town."

"Aren't we" asked the figure.

Ranma looked around him and realised that he was no longer in the forest, but standing in front of the dojo. The figure was standing on the front porch, while Ranma was on the path in front of the house.

"Huh… How did I get here?"

"The problems in this town are all you're fault Ranma" continued the figure, ignoring Ranma's confusion. "Because of you every nutter in Japan wants to make their home here. Because of you all of your fiancées get kidnapped when YOU should have been protecting them. And because of you everyone in this town is at risk from people who are trying to get justified revenge on you, only to spoil it by not allowing them that right."

"Hey that's not true!" bellowed Ranma, now getting really angry.

The figure seemed to smirk under its cloak before lowering its hood and sneering at Ranma with contempt.

"You really think that's true, don't you?" said Akane.

"Oh it's just you, you stupid tomboy."

Unlike the other times when he said that to her, Akane just allowed her smirk to widen slightly. "I may be a tomboy Ranma, but at least I'm not a freak of nature like you."

"Hey take that back!" yelled Ranma.

"Make me," challenged Akane as she turned around and entered the dojo.

Ranma fumed at the back of his ex-fiancée and went in after her; he never backed down from a challenge. He followed Akane to the dining room, where she was standing on one side of the table giving him a cold look.

"What are you doing ronin, you don't belong here anymore."

"I'm here to take all your lies back you uncute tomboy!"

"Oh look at you, so original in your insults. I am so scared."

"Shut up!" bellowed Ranma.

"Besides, you know I'm telling the truth Ranma. Everything that has happened here has been your fault, if you weren't here then everyone's lives would be a lot better."

"Shut up!" Ranma was getting slightly worried, Akane was never this…cold before.

"Take Ukyo for example. Thanks to you she was laughed at and scorned by her own father, she now has to live the rest of her life as a boy unless she either marries or kills you."

"Hey that wasn't my fault; it was thanks to the stupid panda that she was abandoned like that!"

"But you were given a choice," reminded Akane, "you're father gave you choice of either Ukyo or Okonomiyaki, and like the greedy bastard you are you choose your stomach over other people."

"I was only six at the time" protested Ranma.

"And then there was Shampoo" continued Akane. "One minute she was the village champion, the greatest honour of her village, and then some stupid outsider girl ruins that by eating her prize and then having the nerve to beat her easily when she was tired from the tournament."

"It wasn't my fault I didn't know it was the prize, stupid panda" grumbled Ranma.

"And when she gives you the kiss of death you can't take it like a 'man' can you? No, you run away like a coward. And then when she catches up with you she gets beaten again by a male Ranma this time, so she has the horror to have to marry you"

"Hey cut that out, she's pretty damn eager to get me you know!"

"Oh do you really think that she really wants you? She's only doing it for her honour you know; after all it's because of you that she's cursed to turn into a cat, all because you lied to her and told her that you were a girl. Imagine the horror, a powerful warrior from an ancient culture, turning into a harmless house pet,"

"And what about us Tendos?" continued Akane, "Because of you every lunatic comes here trying to either marry you or kidnap one of us, all causing massive amounts of damage that we cant afford. Because of you we're going bankrupt."

"It wasn't all my fault! Besides, I sorted out any problems in the end didn't I?"

"Maybe you got lucky once or twice, but if it wasn't for you then the problems wouldn't have happened"

"What do you mean because of me? Most of those problems were because of pops!"

"Uh uh uh" said Akane as she wagged her finger at Ranma, "you can't call him that any more can you, your parents didn't want you any more, in fact they never wanted you to begin with."

"Do you really think that Genma trained you like that for you to get stronger?" asked Akane. Seeing Ranma's confused look she smirked at him even more and explained. "He was ashamed of you Ranma, can't you see? Every training technique he used was designed to try and kill you, but you were too stubborn to do the decent thing and die weren't you?"

Ranma slumped down as Akane continued unrelenting, "I really feel sorry for your mother, imagine expecting a manly son and getting some gender changing freak like you! It was amazing that she was able to put up with you as long as she did, but you could plainly see the relief on her face when she discovered that Ryoga was her real son. She discarded you like the trash you really are, and so did everyone else."

She watched as she saw Ranma slump down in abject misery. "So you see Ranma, no one wants you, so just disappear and make everyone's lives a lot better off, I doubt anyone will miss you." She then entered the back yard and started some katas.

Ranma meanwhile was sitting there thinking. About how useless his life was. Akane was telling the truth, he only caused problems for people. He watched as first Kuno, and then Ryoga entered the backyard and started fighting over Akane. Ranma almost stepped in to interfere, but then stopped himself. There was no point in him doing anything, after all Akane was no longer his responsibility. Life in Nerima would go on without him a much happier place.

Maybe he should just end it now, he simply caused too much pain for everyone, if he was dead then everyone would be a lot better off.

"I wouldn't be so hasty son-in-law"

Ranma turned hurriedly and saw the amazon matriarch behind him perched on her cane.

"What do you want you old ghoul?"

WHACK

"Ow, what did ya do that for ya old mummy?" yelped Ranma as he rubbed the spot on his head where the old woman's cane had connected.

"Simple, I'm here to stop this dream getting out of control and killing you."

Ranma stared at her in confusion. In the background we see Happosai and Taro join the fight over Akane.

"What do ya mean a dream?"

WHACK

"Ow what did ya do that for?"

"I was trying to knock some sense into you. Off course this is a dream, how do you explain the fact that Akane is acting in a completely different manner than usual, or the fact that you moved from a forest to here in a blink of an eye?"

Ranma blinked in surprise. "Well I suppose that does make sense, so none of this is real?"

"In a sense no, but aspects of this dream are merely parts of yourself"

"Huh?"

Sigh, "Allow me to explain son-in law. You see I am the part of you that represents your wisdom and knowledge…"

"Why would I have a shrivelled up mummy like you to…" WHACK "OW, stop doing that!"

"Not until you behave yourself" reprimanded Cologne, "and to answer your question, the reason you have a 'shrivelled monkey' like me to represent your intelligence instead of a beautiful maiden is because you are an idiot."

"Hey" protested Ranma. In the background we see Saffron and Herb joining the fray and a dust cloud appearing to hide the punch-up.

"Well its true son-in-law, after all you allowed all of your anger and doubt to get the better of you"

"Huh?"

Cologne pointed to the brawl outside. "Akane is what represents all of you're negative emotions, anger, jealousy, depression, you name it she represents it."

"Um, I don't want to sound stupid, but why does Akane represent all that?"

"Well you may not want to sound stupid, but you failed. Tell me Ranma, who is the angriest person you know?"

"Erm… Akane?" guessed Ranma.

"Exactly, see it wasn't too hard to figure out was it?

"So what do all of them represent?" asked Ranma as he pointed to the fight outside.

"Nothing really, they just supply a bit of comic relief" answered Cologne.

"…" Ranma just looked non-plus at the old woman in front of him.

"Ok, now back to the topic in hand. By believing all Akane said you let your negative emotions overwhelm you, much like with Ryoga."

"But everything she said was true," groused Ranma, "everything bad that's happened has been my fault."

"Now you know that's not true Ranma. You can't blame other people's mistakes and decisions on yourself. It was Genma's decision to replace his son with you when he lost his real one, and it was Nodoka's decision to allow Genma's deception to continue. She never told you the truth, even when you asked her directly, so you can hold no blame for her acts. It also wasn't your fault that Ukyo decided to become a boy when Genma abandoned her, not you, but Genma. Nor was it your fault that Shampoo failed to kill you, hence her soaking in Jusenkyo. In fact the blame for her curse can only be blamed on myself and my great grand-daughter, although I highly doubt that the real me will admit that."

"But that doesn't change the fact that because of me trouble keeps hurting those around me" sighed Ranma.

"Ranma there is not a lot you could do about some of what happened last year, in some cases it was only because you were around that people weren't hurt. After all, it wasn't you who angered the dojo destroyer or engaged the Tendos to those French idiots. I will admit that in the past you're pride and arrogance did add to problems, but you did what you could to repair the damage. If you learn from those mistakes and not allow you're pride to get in the way in the future, then they will not have been made in vain."

Sigh. "I suppose you're right"

"Off course I'm right, I'm you're wisdom after all!" she cackled. She paused and then gave Ranma a smirk. "You do realise that Shampoo is still your Amazon wife even though you are no longer a Saotome, we will not give up so easily you know."

"I know, that would be asking for too much. And anyway what do you mean 'we will not give up so easily on you', I thought you were on my side?"

Cologne shrugged. "Sorry, fell too much into character" She then glanced out into the backyard. "Are you going to lend a hand out there Ranma?"

Ranma looked outside and saw that the fight had changed into a five-way tug of war over Akane, with Akane being the rope. Saffron, Herb, Kuno and Ryoga had a grip on each of her limbs, while Taro was pulling on her head. Happosai was too busy playing with Akane's bosom to do any actual pulling. The way that Akane was screaming bloody murder, it was safe to say that she was in quite a bit of pain.

Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, they seem to be doing ok out there without me."

Cologne gave him an amused look. "I was talking about helping Akane."

"I don't really see the point; I mean this is probably some dream thing where if I leave Akane there then I'm getting over this depression. If I help her then that means that I'm getting dependant on my depression like Ryoga is."

"Ranma, you give yourself too much credit sometimes. If you were to help then it would simply avoid having her ripped to pieces." Cologne suddenly winced, "Oopps, too late."

"Oh" said Ranma, turning slightly green. It wasn't the fact that he had just seen someone separated into six different pieces, but the fact that Akane's head was now rolling around trying to bite pieces of the fighters and still screaming obscenities at them.

"Yes… well, I would avoid doing that in the real world if I were you. It would be a lot cleaner that way" suggested Cologne.

"Yeah I think you're right" said Ranma nervously.

"Thankfully this is a dream, so she won't be hurt at all." At that moment Akane's body reformed to its proper shape and repeatedly malleted all the assembled martial artists until they were half buried in the ground.

"Man, it would be useful if you could do that in real life" said Ranma in awe.

"Yes it would" agreed Cologne. She then turned a questioning glance towards Ranma, "So son-in-law, what do you plan to do now eh? You have no family or place to stay, so you're going to need a plan."

"I should be alright for now, I have enough supplies to last me for a while."

"Yes, on that subject I believe there is something that is should tell you."

"Oh yeah what now? The table here represents the fact that I'm board stupid, or I

have to look deep into myself as if I was looking into the Koi pond?"

"No not at all Son-in-law, it's just that if you don't wake up right now then a dog

is going to eat you're entire supply of food"

(End of Dream)

"WHAT!"

Ranma woke up with a start and looked over to the corner of his tent where he had his camping supplies laid out. Sure enough there was a brown Labrador eating his food rations. When the dog noticed that he had been spotted he ran for it, Ranma in hot pursuit, his dream completely forgotten.

"HEY, get back here you stupid mutt!"

At the dojo.

"Here you go Nabiki", said Kasumi as she handed her younger sister her morning dose of caffeine.

Nabiki grunted her thanks as she took the offered cup and sat down at the table waiting for breakfast to be served. Once the coffee started doing its job Nabiki became aware enough to take in her surroundings.

"You two are the most idiotic fleabags that I have ever had the misfortune to meet"

"Yes Master"

There was Akane glaring at her empty plate as if it was the cause of all her problems in life. Next to her was her new fiancé Ryoga, somewhere between absolute bliss the deepest darkest hell. Nabiki guessed the reason for the two conflicting emotions was the same; imagine yourself descended from Genma of all people!

"What are you?"

"Idiotic fleabags Master"

Auntie Nodoka was sitting next to Ryoga, beaming at him with her 'My Son's So Manly' look while holding her katana on her lap.

"Too right you are, I really don't know what I did to deserve the likes of you as students"

"Yes Master"

Oh yes, and Happosai was berating his two students for their behaviour yesterday. Both of them had been in the 'Crouch of the Wild Tiger' for twenty minutes now, and were black and blue from the beating they had received from the perverted gnome's hands yesterday. Genma had (unfortunately) recovered consciousness by the time Happosai had been told the story, and had received more pain to an already horrible day to him.

_Not that he didn't deserve it_, mused Nabiki.

"How dare you do that to my heir? To toss him out into the cold like that, how could you two be so heartless?" bemoaned Happosai.

"You're just upset that you can't cry into Ranma's bosom you old pervert!" retorted Akane.

"Enough of that now Akane, he is you're master after all. It is your duty to follow his teachings," reprimanded Nodoka. She then beamed in Ryoga's direction, "Besides its very manly behaviour to show woman how appreciated they are like that. I fully expect Ranma here to follow his teachings."

"Hey, don't call me that!" yelled Pig boy.

"No way, Ryoga's not like Happosai! He would never do anything as perverted as that, he's a perfect gentleman."

"Eh heh heh…" Ryoga really hoped that Akane didn't find out about P chan.

"There is nothing wrong with an old man having a bit of fun in his last days on earth, and besides that's not the only reason why I'm upset" remarked Happosai.

"Don't tell me you actually care about one of you're students" said Nabiki sarcastically.

"How could you think so little of me Nabiki," said Happosai with tears in his eyes, "I care for all my students as if they were my own children!"

He then turned serious and addressed the two adults prostrating themselves in front of him. "I mean that Ranma was the heir to the anything goes school, without him my retirement is in jeopardy. I need to find him and continue the teaching of my school so that he may take over one day."

"But master, what about choosing a new heir for the school, there are many to choose from after all", sobbed Soun.

"Don't tell me you're serious Soun, you're asking me to pick one of you ingrates?"

"Why not master, surely one of us is worthy?"

Soun was slightly disturbed when he saw the master rolling around on the floor laughing his bald, deformed head off.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Oh good lord, I haven't laughed like that in a LONG time."

"What's so funny Master?" asked Genma, feeling slightly hurt at the lack of esteem Happosai held for him.

"It's funny because there is no way that I would leave MY school in any of your hands. Genma is a spineless wimp who would probably sell the secrets of MY school for a single meal, and Soun is a former shadow of who he was ten years ago in body and mind. The two of you are a disgrace to the school."

"What about Akane or Ranma here," asked Nodoka as she pointed to Ryoga, "surely one of them could become your heir?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Ryoga was ignored as usual. "Ha, you really expect me to give my school to one of them?" asked Happosai in disbelief.

"Hey, what's wrong with me?" yelled Akane in feminine outrage, "just because I'm a girl you think I can't do it huh, I'm a martial artist too dammit!"

"Yep, it's because you're a girl that I won't train you. But I wouldn't train you even if you were to fall into the spring of drowned man."

"Huh"

"What's wrong with my little girl!" yelled Soun; only to deflate at the look Happosai gave him.

"I will admit she is not bad as a martial artist, but she has a major temper problem and an inflated view of her abilities."

"I DO NOT!"

"So what about my son?" asked Nodoka.

Happosai gave Ryoga a disinterested look before answering. "He doesn't know anything goes, and even if he did he would never as good as Ranma is now."

"HEY, I AM ONE THOUSAND TIMES BETTER THAN HIM! I'LL SHOW YOU, YOU OLD FOSSIL!"

"Ha Ha Ha! Ryoga my boy, you never be in Ranma's league as a martial artist, you will always be second best compared to him. Ranma may not show his betters proper respect, and he may have an enormous ego on him, but he is by far the best prospect for the school's future."

"I have to disagree Master Happosai, Ranma here is more than good enough to be your heir" argued Nodoka.

"Will you stop calling me that? My name is RY-O-GA HI-BI-KI, not Ranma Saotome!" yelled Ryoga.

"Not any more Ranma dear, I had you transferred from the Hibiki registry back to the Saotome registry"

"WHAT!" You could say Ryoga was surprised.

"Well I couldn't allow you to not be a member of this family for any longer than necessary, so this morning I called the Hibiki residence to see if I could do something about that" said Nodoka.

"Bet nobody was there" quipped Nabiki. The Hibikis were always lost, that was one thing you could count on.

"Actually they were there when I called them. I simply explained the situation to them and told them that Ranma wanted to go back to his proper family…"

"Hey I never said that!" protested Ryoga.

"…and after a small amount of persuasion they were finally convinced that it was alright to move him back to the Saotome registry. As of this morning his name is Ranma Saotome again. "

"Hey look here, my name is Ryoga Hibiki alright! What right do you have to do this without even asking me?" demanded Ryoga.

"As you're mother I have the right to do what is right for my son" said Nodoka sternly, slightly increasing her grip on her Katana. "For you to fulfil the pledge you have to be a Saotome, you can't marry Akane otherwise."

Ryoga froze at her comment. _If I want to marry Akane then I have to be a Saotome! _

_But that would mean that I would have to take Ranma's name, I can't do that. _

_On the other hand, I would do anything for Akane, if that means changing my name then it will have to do. _

_Hang on, since when do I have to be a Saotome? Its not as if people can't marry without it being arranged is it? All I have to do propose to Akane and we can be together forever._

_Yeah right, I can't even say 'hi' to her without making a mess of it, how am I going to propose to her? Besides, like this I get the support of the Tendos. If I don't then who knows what will happen, Mr Tendo may engage Akane to KUNO (shiver). That will never happen!_

_But can I call myself Ranma for the rest of my life? RANMA THIS IS YOUR FAULT! But wait I'm Ranma, so I'm cursing myself, or am I cursing Ranma or am I cursing myself and Ranma, or…_

Ryoga was still thinking about the problem his old catchphrase would cause him when Nabiki addressed Nodoka.

"Does he really have to be called Ranma auntie? After all, it will be really confusing around here if Ranma and Ryoga have the same name."

"I don't know who this other person you are talking about is, but Ranma will reclaim his rightful name. It is a matter of honour and is non-negotiable."

_What a bitch, glad my mother wasn't like that._ Nabiki faltered slightly at her mother's memory before continuing her argument.

"But surely it would be better for Ryoga to keep his old name. After all he has lived with it for nearly 16 years now. To simply change his name like this would confuse everyone, and himself, at a time when you all need a clear head to become a family again."

"While you raise a valid point, my son needs to uphold the family honour, and to do that he should regain all of who he was meant to be, even his name. Everyone will just have to adjust."

_Hopefully this will work, _mused Nabiki. "But what about Akane? If the two are going to marry then surely she has a say in who she's marrying."

"Hmmm," pondered Nodoka "you do make a point, Akane will be marrying him and does have a small say in my decision."

"Don't I feel special" grumbled Akane.

"So Akane, which name do you prefer, do you want to be a Saotome or a Hibiki?" asked Nodoka.

"I don't want to be either, but Ryoga is still Ryoga, nothing is going to change that."

"Why not call him Ryoga Saotome," supplied Nabiki, "that way he will be a part of your family, and none of us will be overly confused by it."

Sigh. "I suppose that is a fair compromise, as long as the honour pledge to join the two schools happens that is all that matters."

"And who said I would allow young Ryoga over there to learn my school?" questioned Happosai.

"But you have to Master, the honour of anything goes depends on it!" cried Soun

WHAM

"I will not be told what to do with my own school Soun" said Happosai as he stood on Soun's battered body,

"Sorry Master" whimpered Soun.

"But Master, now that vile impostor who pretended to be my son has gone there is nothing to get in the way of the pledge to join the two schools!" begged Genma.

At that comment Nabiki decided she wanted to leave. "Well I'm off, I've got some business to take care of" said Nabiki as she got up from the table.

"How could you Nabiki, you're just going to sell all of this to Ranma's floozies aren't you?" yelled Akane.

"Well of course little sis, someone here had to make some money after all," replied Nabiki calmly as she headed for the door.

"There isn't any point you know Nabiki, the jerk probably stayed over with one of them last night", growled Akane. "Probably had loads of fun last night with all his harem in the same bed, stupid pervert."

"If he did Akane I'll let him know that you're interested next time it happens" quipped Nabiki smugly.

While Akane was quickly denying any thought of doing something as perverted as what was being insinuated, Kasumi entered the room carrying the morning meal.

"Oh my, you're not going to leave so soon are you Nabiki?"

"Don't worry Kasumi; I'll get something at Ucchans or something."

As she left the dojo she could hear her father begging Happosai to allow Ryoga to learn the anything goes style. When she was out of earshot of the dojo her thoughts were taken back to what Genma had said before she left.

_Good grief! There was no way that I was hanging around listening to that idiot all day, for a start it was HIM who had used Ranma as a pseudo son, and now he was actually blaming him and calling him an impostor as if he was Ryu Kumon!_ Nabiki had to wonder why her father wanted one of his daughters to marry into that family; the father-in-law was a spineless coward. The only thing that kept her from chucking the Saotomes out on the road was Ranma.

Not to say that she was in love with him though. She wasn't one of Ranma's many admirers or anything like that, but she had grown to like the big jerk. He had been a large source of income for her; an income that was needed more and more as people came looking for the Saotomes for one reason or another. More than that though, he just brought live to the Tendo dojo where before it was… well dull would be an understatement. Sure there was the odd thing going on that was interesting, the hentai horde being one of the major ones, but at the dojo itself it was a different story. Ranma's arrival had brought new life to the place; there was energy in bounds, new things happening all the time, excitement, and most of all laughter.

It had become her home again.

Now though he was gone, chucked out for something that wasn't even his fault. Nabiki wasn't too upset for Ranma, he was a big boy after all and was more than used to living outdoors. He may have been terrified of them, but he was like a cat in many ways. Apart from his grace and balance, he always landed on his feet.

No Nabiki was worried for Kasumi. After Ranma had left she had simply stared out of the window in the direction he had disappeared from until Nabiki had shown up. Even as her older sister walked in earlier bringing in breakfast, Nabiki worried for her. Kasumi was taking her patented smile to new levels, and it wasn't good for her. Kasumi may have never said anything, but Nabiki knew that she was incredibly lonely. She always stayed at home cleaning or cooking for the rest of the family. The only people she interacted with other than her family were the people at the market, Dr Tofu and Ranma. Now that Ranma was gone it left a large hole to be filled in Kasumi's world, a hole Nabiki was determined to fill back up.

But she had other things to think of now, the first one being what to tell Ranma's fiancées.

Ucchans

The restaurant was quiet this morning, hardly a person in the building. Ukyo was at the grill serving the single customer that had turned up that morning, hoping that business would pick up. It was unusual for there to be so little business at this time of the day, she hoped that they hadn't all gone to the Nekohantan for their morning meal. She would rather not have the amazons as business rivals as well as rivals for love.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Ranma around for some time now. For the last week at school he had been quiet and thoughtful, moods which really didn't suit the pigtailed martial artist. She hoped there wasn't something wrong, like another martial artist fiancée. She had enough competion as it was, she didn't need more. Hopefully Ranma would pop in later and talk things over with her, she was usually the person who he came to after all.

The door to the restaurant opened and Ukyo put a smile on her face to hopefully greet her fiancé, only to see someone who wasn't wanted as much.

"Hello Nabiki, what can I get you?" asked Ukyo warily. Nabiki only came at this time of day if she could make money, and she had a sneaky suspicion that Ranma would be involved somewhere.

"Hi Ukyo, could I have a squid Okonomiyaki to go please?"

"Sure sugar." Ukyo then went about producing her order while Nabiki sat down at the counter. In no time at all Ukyo had finished cooking the delicacy and handed it to the hungry Nabiki, who ate it at a comfortable pace. Ukyo got impatient after a while as she watched Nabiki eat. She knew that Nabiki wanted more than a meal, but she hadn't mentioned anything, in fact the mercenary had simply eaten her meal in absolute silence. When Nabiki had nearly finished, Ukyo decided to get it over with and ask her what she was doing there.

"Why Ukyo I'm shocked! Why would you think I'm up to something?"

"Cut it out Nabiki, I know you to well for that. The only times that you come here you leave with more yen than you entered with. You have some information to sell or you wouldn't be here, so tell me how much it is and then leave."

"Well since you seem to have me pegged I'll get on with it" said Nabiki, who then picked up a brown envelope, "In here is some information that will drastically affect your claim to marry Ranma. In fact it is so important that I'm charging 8000 yen for it."

"8000 YEN! Are you out of you're mind Nabiki, I'm not paying that much."

"Believe me Ukyo I think you will want to see this, and the fee is simply because you will be hearing lots of rumours in a couple of days, and if you want all the facts you will have to get this."

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but here take you're money. This better be good stuff" grumped Ukyo as she handed over the required amount.

"Pleasure doing business with you Ukyo" said Nabiki as she handed the chef the envelope, although there wasn't the smile there that Ukyo was expecting from here after making that much money. That fact filled her with dread as she waited for Nabiki to leave the restaurant before tearing open the envelope and reading contents. If Nabiki was in a serious mood then this information might not be a good thing.

Five minutes later she collapsed into her chair in shock. According to the information Nabiki had given her, Ranma wasn't Genma's real son. As such the engagement was invalid; she was no longer engaged to Ranma.

If that was the extent of the information then it wouldn't be so bad, after all she could still marry Ranma. All she had to do was convince him that she was the perfect wife for him and then they could be married the normal way, without having an arrangement between her father and a dishonourable bastard like Genma. After all, she asked her father for the engagement because she had grown a crush on Ranma all those years ago. Just because Ranma was no longer officially engaged to her didn't mean that she couldn't be in the future. The fact that he was technically now a ronin was a small problem, he could marry into her family after all.

No, there was one small problem that she never thought would be a possibility. It seems that because she was engaged to 'the son of Genma Saotome' she had to marry his real son. It wouldn't be that bad if he had stayed undiscovered like he had for the last 16 years, but they had to find him now of all times. Because of the wording of the agreement she had to marry him, after all Ranma wasn't the son of Genma, but this guy was.

But why did it have to be Ryoga of all people? It had to be a universal joke of some kind, there was no way she could marry Ryoga.

First of all he was obsessed with Akane, who would be engaged to him officially due to that damn 'join the schools' pledge. The idea that anyone could change his focus of affections was difficult to imagine. Well, maybe not that hard. After all, he had some Kuno complex going on where he was interested in both Akane and Akari, the sumo pig farmer. It wasn't hard to imagine him being attracted to another pretty girl who showed him attention; he was a complete idiot around any good looking woman.

Secondly he was cursed to turn into a pig. Ukyo could cope with Ranma's curse; after all he was still a human, even if he was female at the time. It wasn't as if she was disgusted with Ryoga being a pig, it was just that if he got hit with cold water then he became a walking food and safety hazard. Having a pig in a restaurant was a bad idea, although Moose and Shampoo never seemed to affect the Nekohantan's business in a negative way (except for the fights).

Thirdly was his sense of direction. It was horrible, she wasn't sure that she could spend her life with someone who would be missing for a fortnight at a time. She supposed it would be alright if he had a portable grill of some sort, that way he could cook as he went and bring in extra money that way.

Lastly, and most importantly, was the question of whether she should even pursue Ryoga as a future husband. She had spent her whole life thinking of RANMA in one way or another, it was Ranma she played with, Ranma who she wanted to get revenge on, and it was Ranma who had called her cute. It wasn't Ryoga, he was only the real Saotome in paper as far as Ukyo was concerned, in every other way Ranma was the real deal.

But her honour demanded that she marry Ryoga. She had thrown around the honour card plenty of times in her pursuit of Ranma; she had the better claim after all due to her dowry being taken. If she ignored this then what would that make her?

A hypocrite?

Dishonourable?

Genma?

She couldn't simply ignore it, that would be the wrong thing to do. All she could do was pursue Ryoga in a disinterested way until he got Akane or someone to marry him, then she could go and pursue Ranma again.

It would all work out in the end.

Nekohantan

"Aiya! Shampoo so happy!" exclaimed the amazon as she bounced around the restaurant, much to the male customers delight.

Cologne was happy as well, it was a good thing that Moose wasn't here though as he would have had a fit. Nabiki had just dropped off the information that they had been waiting for. It seemed that they had the only legitimate claim on Ranma now that the other engagements being made invalid due to Ranma's heritage, or lack thereof. The part that described Ryoga's significance in the scheme of things was ironic and completely hilarious; Ryoga had become the thing that he hated the most.

However, that was not the thing of high importance to the amazons. Now that Ranma was no longer engaged to any of the girls that Genma had conned there was no more competion, the only honourable option that Ranma had was to come back to China and marry Shampoo. Of course she had to convince him of that, but she didn't think it would be too hard. Ranma was now someone who had no family, no where to belong, and no prospects for the future in Japan. Cologne could simply make him realise that he would become the husband of the most prestigious warrior in the village, and with the attraction of secret amazon techniques he would soon come running to her.

Off course she had to find him first.

"Shampoo, where do you think you are going?"

The busty amazon stopped before she reached the door. "Shampoo is going to find Airen, bring him back to cat café so that he can be Shampoo's husband."

"Come back here granddaughter, we are going nowhere today."

Shampoo looked at her grandmother in disbelief, "But great grandmother, Shampoo must go to get Airen. He out there on his own when he could be here in warm restaurant with Shampoo. Shampoo go get Airen, yes?"

"Shampoo we will get your husband, you have no need to worry about that. However there is no need to rush at this point, we will head out to get him tomorrow."

"But grandmother…" whined Shampoo cutely.

"No buts granddaughter, we will run the restaurant today like normal and head out tomorrow morning. There is no need to sprint towards our prey when a well prepared jog will work much better."

"Shampoo no understand"

"Which is why I am the elder and you are not", Cologne decided that she had better tell Shampoo her reasons so that she would go AWAL on her. "Come over here Shampoo while business is slow so I can explain to you." Once Shampoo was comfortable Cologne started her explanation.

"Now Shampoo I am going to tell you a tale that will explain what I mean. Once I am finished I want you to tell me what you have learnt from it, you understand?"

Once she got a nod from her heir she continued. "There is a tribe in Africa that lives in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. There is very little to eat, so they have had to take advantage of every opportunity to get food that they can get. The lesson we can learn from them can be described from the way they hunt for zebra."

"Zebra?" asked Shampoo, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

"A Zebra is a kind of wild horse, appropriate for this lesson don't you think? Anyway when the hunter comes across a Zebra they do not charge after it at top speed, nor do they stalk it from cover, because in the desert there is none, instead they simply approach it at a jog from out in the open."

"How hunters get kill then? Surely horse run away before they get near."

"You are correct Shampoo; the Zebra is much faster than the hunter so it gets away. No be quiet so I can continue my story. Any way, even though the Zebra has tun away it doesn't stop the hunter, he simply carries on at a jog following the Zebra's tracks, never stopping but to see where the Zebra has gone. The Zebra meanwhile gets a certain distance away and tries to rest, but before it can the hunter approaches it, forcing it to run away again."

"This goes on for many hours, the Zebra running away and the hunter patiently following the trail, never tiring. Eventually the stress, heat and exhaustion all get to the Zebra and it eventually collapses where it stands, allowing the hunter to simply walk up to it and drive a spear through it from point blank range."

"Now you may wonder why the hunter never tired when the Zebra did. After all they ran the same distance in the same heat, so how could the hunter keep up with the Zebra. The answer is simple, the hunter was prepared."

"While the Zebra ran in a blind panic, the hunter simply followed at a gentle pace which allowed him to keep his strength. While the Zebra would be unable to find a water source to replenish itself the hunter carried a water supply with him so that he would never go without. And most importantly, no matter how fast the Zebra went it was unable to loose the hunter due to his tracking skills."

"Now Shampoo, tell me what we have learnt from these people."

Shampoo sat there pondering what she had been told before answering. "Ranma is Zebra, he run quick but can always be found. Shampoo is hunter; she is prepared and takes her time. If Shampoo not rush then she find husband."

Cologne smiled proudly at her granddaughter. "That is correct Shampoo, as amazons with 3000 years of history we have more than enough knowledge to be able to find a single male, no matter how good he is. After all you were able to follow them here, even when the two were always changing back and forth from their cursed forms. We will prepare ourselves tonight, and tomorrow we will leave. Sooner or later we will find you're wild horse."

Elsewhere

Nabiki was heading towards the Kuno mansion on her way to deliver the news, for a small profit of course. She was going to have to make the most of the current situation, as she doubted she would be able to make as much money as she would with Ranma around, and the costs that came with living in Nerima were still the same. She would have to find a way to make money off of Ryoga, but he was unpredictable. That was mainly due to the fact that he would not always be in the same hemisphere as he wanted to be, let alone the same house. Nabiki had to find some new ventures after all the news blew over, she somehow doubted that Ryoga was as desirable to Kuno as the 'pigtailed girl'.

Speaking of the idiot, he was just walking out of a literature store in front of her carrying a large supply of Shakespeare and poetry books; no doubt he was trying to find some inspiration for his daily declarations.

"Hello Kuno baby, have I got some news for you."

"Leave me alone Nabiki Tendo; I have to try to find a way to remove Saotome's hold over my twin loves."

"Oh sure Kuno baby, by the look of those books you're going to talk him to death, though knowing him that would probably work"

Kuno just gave Nabiki a disdainful look. "I despise you Nabiki Tendo"

"I am so disappointed by that Kuno"

"I am sure you are, after all what woman would not be astounded by my manly physique?" If he noticed Nabiki gagging into a bush he didn't show it. "Now I must be going Miss Tendo, unless you have something that may interest me."

Nabiki recovered quickly enough to give the kendoist a smirk that wouldn't look unusual on a great white shark. "Well Kuno baby it may just be you're lucky day, I have some information that may influence Ranma's hold on you're loves directly."

"I doubt that I would be interested Miss Tendo, it is probably something that is not fit for the ears for one as noble as I" drawled Kuno.

"Well if you're sure you don't want to know Kuno baby…" said Nabiki as she started walking down the street away from him. Her path was quickly halted by a boken.

"I did not say that Miss Tendo, how much is this going to cost me?"

"Well, seeing as its you I'll charge you a bargain 30,000 yen."

"30,000 YEN! Are you insane woman, I am not going to pay that much for simple information" exclaimed Kuno.

"Take it or leave it Kuno baby" said Nabiki as she waved an envelope in front of her.

She quickly found the required money in her hands. "Now tell me what is so important that it would require me to empty my pockets of such a large amount of money."

_Hmmm, give him the information or tell him. Better tell him, at least this way he will understand it the way I want him to._ "Well Kuno baby, it seems that any engagement that Ranma is involved with has been cancelled. Akane no longer has to marry him."

"Oh joyous day! To think that the pure Akane Tendo is at last free to express her love for me, I never thought that day would come!"

_Neither did I._ "There is more you should know Kuno."

"I should hope so for the amount I paid for this trivial information."

"Well it seems that she is now engaged to another person, the engagement has been transferred to someone else."

"WHAT!" bellowed Kuno. "How dare such a travesty happen, I gave no permission for this union to take place! Pray Nabiki Tendo; tell me of this vermin's name so that I may smite him with my holy blade!"

"Have you ever heard of someone called Ryoga Hibiki?" asked Nabiki.

"Of course! It is none other than that foul sorcerer's apprentice, a man just as vile as his master. I must smite him so that my love can be freed from his black magic!" and with that the idiotic swordsman ran off to free his love.

"Man he was serious, he never even asked about the pigtailed girl" joked Nabiki. She then headed of home at a more relaxed pace, she had given the information to all the heavy players, and her underlings were giving out the information to every one else at that moment. The money would be rolling in for a long time to come.

Hiding in a bush someone had heard everything. He slipped of in silence to inform someone important of the latest turn of events.

Kuno Mansion.

"Mistress I have great news for you"

Kodachi frowned slightly. She was currently in the middle of watering her prized roses in one of the greenhouses. Sasuke knew that he shouldn't enter here unless it was important.

"You may enter Sasuke, what is it that you have to tell?" she enquired primly.

Sasuke entered on his hands and knees and addressed his employer. "Well it is about Ranma Saotome…"

"You have news about my darling Ranma? Is here waiting to sweep me into his arms and make a woman out of me?" asked Kodachi excitedly as she looked for the love of her life.

"No mistress Kuno, it is about his engagement to Akane Tendo."

"Oh no! Please don't tell me that the vile wrench had managed to trap my darling Ranma-sama into a loveless marriage!" gasped Kodachi.

"No mistress, Akane Tendo is no longer engaged to Ranma, but to a man called Ryoga Hibiki"

"Oh at last, my darling Ranma-sama is no longer in the clutches of that harlot Tendo. Pray tell me where you got this information."

"I overheard Nabiki Tendo herself tell Master Kuno earlier today, you can be rest assured that the information is accurate."

"Yes she is one to always tell the truth. Tell me Sasuke, what does this 'Ryoga Hibiki' look like?"

"Well mistress he is tall, carries a large backpack and always wears a yellow bandana on his head."

"Oh yes I remember him, he often hangs around that Akane woman does he not? He also has a certain similarity to my Ranma-sama." She then paused in sudden thought. "Of course, why didn't I see it sooner? That wicked, wicked girl!"

"What is it mistress Kuno?" asked Sasuke, still on the floor.

"That foul wrench Akane has disguised my love Ranma to look like this Ryoga Hibiki so that she may keep him away from my loving arms!"

"Erm, I don't that's right mistress Kuno"

"It makes perfect sense now that I think about it," continued Kodachi, "I have never seen my Ranma darling and this 'Ryoga' in the same place. It must be due to Akane's vile attempts to hide him from me."

"Actually, you've seen them plenty of times together, they're always fighting each other."

"But she failed to fool me Sasuke, for the black rose of St Herbeke high school is not fooled by such tricks!"

"You're not listening to a single word I'm saying are you" asked Sasuke frustratedly.

"You are correct Sasuke; I must go over to the Tendo dojo and punish Akane Tendo for her attempt to deceive me. OH HOHOHOHOHOHOH!" She then swirled her ribbon around and leapt from building to building, laughing as she went.

Leaving Sasuke to clean up the left over rose petals. He looked up sorrowfully at the sky and asked, "Please lord, what did I do to deserve this? Was I an evil overlord in a past life, did I kill thousands of woman and children in their sleep, or did I even invent those horrific bagpipes?" He was rewarded with only silence as an answer.

Juban

Ranma was walking through town looking to replace his supplies. Thanks to that stupid dog he didn't have enough food for tonight, so he had to get some more. The problem was that he only had enough money for a week at most, he had no idea what he was going to do after that.

A job wasn't an option, he hadn't even finished school yet so no one would employ him. He couldn't teach at a dojo since he wasn't a master, and besides who would employ a kid? Nope, he needed money and he needed it fast.

As he walked past a window he couldn't help but see the answer to his money worries. It was just what he needed, a tournament with a decent amount of prize money where any style was allowed as long as there were no killing blades used. This would be a great way to test himself against other fighters, not that there were any out there that could beat him, but there may be a technique that he may be able to learn. There was something more important that the prospect of learning techniques though.

It was easy money.

* * *

Author's notes

My longest Chapter yet!

Sorry that I took so long to update, but after writing so many chapters in succession I came across a bit of writers block, not helped by the fact I had other work to do that was needed sooner. For those cynics out there I did not wait until there were two hundred reviews for this story before updating (as suggested by some), I would never do something like that. : )

Speaking of which, the day after I placed the last chapter on the net I checked my email to see how many reviews I had received. I was expecting at most twenty, as I had for the previous chapters. So you could imagine how blown away I was when I discovered that overnight I had FOURTY NINE emails waiting for me, all reviews! I couldn't believe I had such a large response, nor the fact that the majority of them were positive reviews, it simply blew me away. When I said I wanted 200 reviews ASAP I was expecting to just get that after THIS chapter, not the last one.

So as an experiment I'm going to see if my comment had anything to do with it. Lets see, a random number…mmmm ah ha, I want to have 312 reviews ASAP. (Now I would be VERY surprised if I got that many after this chapter, my guess is it will take at least five more chapters to get that many). Anyway, keep sending them in.

Last chapter I asked how the name Kenichi Ogata was significant. Well dennisud2015, Athenais, uten and JMaxwell got it right and said that he is the Japanese voice actor for Genma Saotome. Well done! (Sarcastic voice "Wasn't that worth it?") It wasn't a major plot device, but I just thought it was funny that Genma sold his son to himself! Bet no one else has done that before!

Some questions about Ryoko's powers as well. First is there a known limit to Ryoko's teleport range? I know she can only teleport short distances, but is a figure ever stated or am I going to have to make one up? Secondly, when she makes lightning fall from the sky (I think she can do that), does she need it to be cloudy already or do clouds appear in the sky when she wants them to? And lastly, does she actually have a tail? I have read some fanfiction where she has a tail, but in the research I have done and the pictures I have seen of her in a bikini she doesn't have one. From what I gather the 'tail' is actually some kind of belt that comes attached to one of her outfits, it just reacts like a tail. (For those who doubt what my sources go to Google and type in 'Ryoko's tail', there should be loads of sites that describe this belt.)

Now onto this chapter. I think I succeeded in showing some sympathy for Akane's situation, and yet still managed a bit of Akane bashing at the same time. I hope it succeeded, if it didn't then tell me in a review, I'll try to improve it in any later chapters.

I can tell I am going to get loads of reviews saying 'Kodachi would never do something as stupid as that'. When I thought of her actions I realised that they were the actions of someone who was completely out of touch of the world, a complete lunatic, or someone who was living in a completely different world than other people. It was also something that would never occur to anyone with an ounce of common sense.

I think I gave enough reasons to successfully explain why Kodachi did that then.

Just to make something clear. RYOGA IS RYOGA, AND RANMA IS RANMA! With a few exceptions (cough Kodachi cough) this will be what they are called. I had no intention of creating confusion by swapping their names over, it was just something to get a small laugh, that's all.

A few more things, the story that Cologne told Shampoo is actually true, only they hunt antelope instead of Zebra (since Zebra live in herds). Akane mentions the Yaazuniichuan, and for those of you who can't remember that is the spring of drowned duck. I hope you liked the dream sequence, but if you didn't then tough, there is no way that I'm getting rid of it, it took ages to write and I like it!

Oh and one more small detail. The next chapter will be when Washu and Ranma finally meet! (Crowd of protestors outside author's house "about bloody time too!!!") May take a while to write, as I will want to get it absolutely perfect.

Keep sending in those reviews, and thank you for reading this story.


	9. Chapter eight

Ryoga woke up slowly as the sun made its displeasure felt by shining into the martial artists eyes. Angry about his emergence from his nap, he glance around his surroundings to see where he had slept this time, if it was on a shop door or (shudder) a girl's room then he would have to move quickly. It wasn't until he took a good look around that he remembered that he was in HIS room at the Tendos sleeping next to HIS father, who as always was a panda.

Ryoga wasn't exactly thrilled that he shared his DNA with a panda, after hearing of all the stupid things that he had done Ryoga had no desire to find himself repeating them, and was even more horrified that he could one day look like Genma Saotome, old, fat and very bald. There was no way that he was going to let himself go like that, he would rather die than face the embarrassment.

He wasn't completely sure that he wanted Mrs Saotome as his mother. While she seemed nice on the outside, it always had to be done her way, no matter if it was a good idea or not. He was lucky that he was allowed to still be called Ryoga, not that he would accept the insult of being called Ranma anyway. He was slightly disappointed that his adopted parents had removed him from the Hibiki registry with not much fuss; it was almost as if they wanted to get rid of him. They may not have been his real parents, but when they were around they were good and kind and, always tried to help him out when they needed it. He rather liked the Hibikis; he had hoped they saw him as a real son rather than someone to pass on when they were done with him.

_Mind you_, he thought, _if 'Mom' talked to them then they may have thought that they were doing the right thing anyway._

Off course, being related to the Saotomes wasn't all bad; he finally had a good excuse to be close to Akane. She may have been reluctant to spend any time alone, or to accept him as her fiancé, but he was sure that in time she would do so. Then they could get married and have lots of children, and she could cook and clean for him while he ran the dojo and taught a mixture of anything goes and the Hibiki style of martial arts, hopefully she would be a better cook in the future.

Ryoga thought about that, would he really want to teach Anything goes? Last night the two fathers had finally gotten Happosai's permission for him to learn the style, even if he refused to make him as his heir, since he wanted to find Ranma. Not that Ryoga wanted to be the old leach's heir anyway, but he could think of better people to be the heir to Anything goes, and found it insulting that he was seen as 'second best' to his rival. He could always beat Ranma if it came down to a fair fight, Ranma just managed to get away with a cheap trick so that he won when he didn't deserve it.

Well that didn't matter anymore, because from today he was going to receive some training in the Anything goes style. He may not have liked Ranma, but he couldn't help but be impressed at the skill of all of Anything goes fighters, even Akane was a skilled and graceful fighter, no matter what Ranma had said to her. Akane may not be up to his or Ranma's standards, but she was still a great fighter with grace and beauty that captivated him, wishing that she would stay with him forever and ever and…

Anyway, if he learned the Anything goes style then when he combined it to his own then Ranma wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight, he would show Happosai who the true master of the art was. He was second best to nobody, he would show everyone who the best was!

Unfortunately for Ryoga his thinking stopped him from taking note of what was happening in his surroundings, and therefore he was unprepared for the large panda to take a hold of one of his legs and throw him out of the window…

SPLASH

…right into the koi pond.

Genma leapt out of the window and landed by koi pond, waiting for his TRUE son to get up so he could begin training him in the family art. _Ah, its great to get back to doing this_, thought Genma as he took a ready stance, ready for any sudden moves from the small body of water._ I may have failed to get Ranma to respect me as he should, but I can start anew with Ryoga. I can't wait to see how good someone of my own flesh and blood can become_. Through his thought Genma was confused at why he had some strange feeling in his stomach when he thought about Ranma, the boy he had raised for the last sixteen years. He didn't know what this feeling was, but it didn't feel good so Genma resolved to try and forget it as soon as possible.

There was also something nagging in the back of Genma's mind, something about throwing his newfound son into the koi pond that he should have remembered.

It soon came to him when a small black piglet swam above the surface and gave Genma a furious glare while struggling to stay afloat.

#Hmmm, maybe I should find a better way to train you# signed Genma as his black paw grabbed P-Chan's bandana and pulled him from the pond.

Now let's take a step back and imagine you know nothing about the curses one or both of these individuals are under. The sight that you would see would involve a large panda standing on his hind legs with a small piglet struggling in his paws while holding a sign mentioning new forms of training. Now imagine that you know that the panda has a certain knack of creating rather painful training methods, training methods that you wouldn't want anyone you knew to go through. **Now** imagine that the piglet in the panda's hands is in fact your pet that keeps wandering off, and is now under threat of being put in some painful training method, a method which could include pits, fish sausages and felines. It is easy to guess then how someone in that situation would react to the threat of their beloved pet.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO P-CHAN?"

WHACK

Bingo, you guessed it, Panda Pancakes all round!

Akane removed her pet from the grip of the unconscious panda and hugged him to her bosom.

"Oh did that mean old panda try to hurt you, let mummy kiss your boo-boo all better. Oh no, he did hurt you, you're nose is bleeding! Let's get you to Kasumi so she can make it all better."

P-chan didn't move while Akane went into the house, he was too immersed in bliss to think straight at the moment.

* * *

Later

Breakfast was being served at the Tendo dojo to a similar, if slightly different crowd than those that occupied it for the last year.

For the last year or so it had been occupied by a travelling martial artist, his pigtailed son, and the Tendo family, with Happosai joining occasionally (although he wasn't there today, thank god) and Nodoka joining them in the last few months or so. That had all changed in the last few days, as Ranma Saotome, the man who had a legion of fiancées, the man who had killed a god to save one of them, and the man who was sometimes a woman was no longer there. The person who occupied the place next to Akane was no longer Ranma, but his rival in so many ways, Ryoga Hi…Saotome. It was not that unusual for him to be involved in meals at the Tendos, but up until yesterday he hadn't been doing it as Akane's fiancée, and most of the meals he had been involved with had him as P-chan while eating leftovers from the youngest Tendo's plate.

Said Tendo was glancing around the room looking for said pet, and hoping desperately that he hadn't disappeared again. Eventually she turned to her oldest sister to enquire about the location of her pet; she was the last one who had him after all.

"Hey Kasumi," asked Akane while looking at the slightly mournful Tendo (not that anyone but Nabiki noticed) "do you know where P-chan is? I hope he hasn't gone again, it'll be ages before I see him if he has."

Kasumi's expression brightened noticeable when she realised that she was the centre of attention. "Oh I'm sorry Akane but I don't know where he is. I was about to wash the blood away with some warm water when he jumped out my arms and ran out before I could catch him, I hope he's alright."

"Erm, I wouldn't worry Akane, I'm sure that P-Chan will be back soon" said Ryoga.

"Do you think so? His nose was bleeding badly when I last saw him" said Akane.

Kasumi finished dishing out the food and turned her glance to her sister's new boyfriend. "Oh my, are you alright Ryoga you've got some blood on you're face."

"Oh I'm fine Kasumi, Mr Sa…Pop got in a lucky blow during training that's all" replied Ryoga nervously wiping the blood from his face while glancing at his mother.

"That's funny I didn't see you or Mr Saotome fighting this morning, all I saw was P-chan being bullied by a big mean panda" growled Akane while glaring at said panda in human form.

"Genma! What were you doing to Akane's pet pig?" questioned Nodoka while giving Genma a glare of her own. "I hope you weren't planning on eating him, you're fat enough as it is."

"Off course I wasn't going to eat it, I know how much her little piggy means to her (he ignored Ryoga's growling from the other side of the table), I just found him in the pond and decided to help him out, and then for some strange reason Akane hits me on the head with that mallet of hers."

"Akane is that true?" asked Soun sternly, "You should know better than attacking you're future father-in-law like that, he's a guest in this house and he will be treated like one."

"But daddy, he was talking about training him like he would a martial artist (except me damn it), he was going to hurt him I know it."

"Genma! You weren't bullying Akane's pet were you, what sort of man treats animals like that? You have a lot of explaining to do."

"But No-chan, I've got a perfectly good reason. I was…erm…going to…err…"

"You were going to do what?" asked Nodoka firmly.

Genma sweated slightly while trying to find a way to explain what happened without Akane realising who P-chan really was, he had no doubt what the results would be if she found out, there would be no way that the schools would be able to join with that information around. Nabiki watched interestedly, wondering what the big oaf had done that had him so flustered.

It seemed Soun knew what was wrong, as he stepped in when he realised that his friend was in a bit of bother.

"I'm sure Saotome's reasons are innocent Nodoka, why I'm sure that an apology from Genma will be sufficient to put this whole mess behind us" he reasoned to everyone, while focussing his attention at his youngest daughter to see if she would agree.

Akane seemed uncertain for a while as she glanced at the rest of the group to see what they thought, glaring at Genma who had somehow managed to produce a plastic halo and wings from nowhere and was trying to give of an aura of innocence, no easy for someone like him. She eventually gave in at her father's look and reluctantly agreed, but if he tried anything like that again…

Nabiki glanced at her watch and stood up. "Well its time for me to get to school, don't want to be late do I?"

Akane was about to follow when Nodoka placed a hand on her arm to keep her seated. "Akane dear, could sit here a moment and wait for Ryoga to finish."

"Why would she have to wait for me?" asked Ryoga curiously.

"Why that's simple dear, you're going to be going to school with her" answered Nodoka calmly.

"WHAT? There's no way that I can go to school!"

Nodoka looked up sternly at her son and increased her grip slightly on her Katana. "We are not going to argue about this son, you will be going to school with Akane and that is final. I may not have been looking after you while you grew up, but I refuse to allow a son of mine to not get an education when one is so freely available. I will not allow my son to be stupid. Besides, you're already enrolled."

While Ryoga was slightly disturbed by the look he was getting from his mother, he had some genuine reasons why he couldn't go. "Its not that I don't want to go to school, it's just that I have a slight… directional problem which causes me to get lost easily." God, how he hated admitting his weakness.

"Yes, I am aware of your problem son, that was how I lost you all those years ago. Which is the reason why I asked Akane to wait for you, if she helps you from class to class then there won't be a problem will there?"

"WHAT?" yelled Akane. "You want me to lead him around all day?"

"Why yes Akane, that's exactly what I want you to do," beamed Nodoka, "after all the two of you are fiancés so it is only right for the two of you to help each other out when it is needed."

Akane then stood up and turned to Ryoga, "Well if you want to go then you'll have to go now otherwise we'll be late."

"But I can't go now; I haven't got any school stuff!"

"Oh relax dear, I packed some school things in that large pack of yours, and we can get you your uniform after school. Now get going, you don't want to be late." Her comment drove Akane to take Ryoga's hand and drag the blushing martial artist to school.

Meanwhile Soun and Genma were sitting on the back porch in a gloomy mood They hadn't said anything to each other, they were just enjoying each other's company as they thought of the problem they had just come across.

Eventually it was Soun who spoke first. "We have to do something Saotome, if we don't then we're doomed to failure!"

"I agree Tendo," sighed Genma, "if Akane finds out about Ryoga's curse then we're all doomed. Not only will Akane refuse to marry Ryoga, but she will be angry at us as well."

"Too true Saotome," nodded Soun, "but not all is lost, if akane refuses then we can push the agreement onto Kasumi or Nabiki. There will be no problem getting them to marry you're son."

"I'm not to sure about that, you're daughters are very loyal to each other. I don't think that they would allow Ryoga to be engaged to them when they find out. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if Nabiki didn't already know, she's smart enough."

"I don't think she does, I saw her petting him a couple of days ago while feeding him some scraps. If she does know about him then she was acting very well."

"The only thing we can do is hide his curse from them and hope they never find out, although when they are married I'm not sure that Ryoga will be able to hide his curse from Akane."

The two aged martial artists sat in contemplation trying to find a solution to their problems.

"You know Saotome, if we could remove his curse then Akane never have to find out. She may miss her pet, but other than that it is a win/win situation."

"Its not as easy as that is it though? Think of all the attempts we have had to cure mine and Ranma's curses over the last year, and none of them worked. Besides most of the ideas for cures came from the Amazons, and I don't think they will be willing to help when Ranma isn't around." He then sagged slightly, "I don't think that we will be able to find a cure before she finds out, with the fact that Jusenkyo cursed people tend to be water magnets it won't be long before she finds out."

"Are sure about that?" said Soun, sounding rather panicked. "I mean he has been able to hide from detection for a year now, it's possible that he could do it for some time to come."

"I don't think so Tendo, the only reason he's not been found out is that he has spent very little time living here, most of the time he's wandering the countryside trying to get back here. No, we have to think of something before she finds out."

So the two masters of Anything goes continued to sit out on the porch and stare at the koi pond, hoping for inspiration from its murky depths.

* * *

"Come on Ryoga, we don't want to be late!" yelled Akane as she ran at full pelt while dragging Ryoga behind. In fact they were running so fast that they managed to miss a soaking from the ladle lady (luckily for Ryoga). Soon they arrived at Furinkan high school, quite possibly the weirdest and least desirable school in Tokyo.

It didn't take long for rumours to start when Akane was seen holding hands with a guy, not only that but Ranma's main rival.

"Look Akane's here"

"Where's Ranma, and who's the hunk she's holding hands with?"

"Don't you recognise him, that's the guy who's always trying to beat up Ranma."

"Oohh, he's cute."

"I'd stay away from him if I were you, it seems that Akane has gotten her claim on him already and you know how bad both their tempers are."

"It's not fair she gets all the good looking guys after her."

"Oh yeah, it's just that their all nuts! Kuno's obsessive and Ryoga's just plain angry, no amount of good looks can change that."

"Ranma's alright though, I wouldn't going out with him"

"Heh, I wonder if he's a 'wild horse' between the sheets…"

"Hey do you think he's available? It's just that Akane seems to be interested in Ryoga now, so…"

"I wouldn't bet on it, he's still got Ukyo and that Chinese girl after him, there's no way I'm getting them angry."

"Not to mention Kuno's sister, she's almost as mad as her brother."

"No, I would say she's worse…"

"I can't believe they would say such things about us like that!" growled Akane as she marched to the building, "We're just friends that's all, why would they think we were together like that?"

Ryoga didn't comment due to his head being filled with him, Akane and all the children that they would produce. It was almost enough for a nose bleed, almost but not quite. He was soon brought out of his stupor by an obnoxious voice coming from behind a tree.

"So the foul sorcerer Hibiki has already trapped the fair Akane Tendo in his clutches, it seems your master has taught you. But no matter how well you were taught the black arts you will be no match for my formidable might!"

"Huh, what the hell are you talking about?" Ryoga watched as Tatewaki Kuno showed himself and take a 'righteous pose' as he prepared to defeat the evil being.

Kuno then pointed his boken at Ryoga and continued his speech. "While the foul sorcerer Saotome was a fierce opponent he was no match for my skill. I don't doubt that his student will be formidable, but still justice will be done to allow my twin loves to bask in my greatness."

"Hey shut up Kuno-baka it's not like that" shouted Akane.

" I'm not Ranma's student in anything, he's nowhere as powerful as me!" yelled Ryoga, getting frustrated that nearly everyone compared him negatively to Ranma. At least Akane wasn't doing it.

"Ah, so the sorcerer Hibiki claims to be more powerful than Ranma does he? It does not matter, I defeated Ranma when he ran in fear of my might, and I have no question that you will do the same."

"I don't have a clue what your talking about Kuno, but the name's Saotome, now not Hibiki."

"So you even copy his name in hopes of beating me."

"You're really starting to annoy me Kuno, I don't need to copy no one to beat your ass…"

BASH, CRASH, SNAP, THUD

Ryoga turned from the slightly mutilated kendoist and headed off angrily. "Come on Akane, let's get to class."

In the end Akane had to run up to him and grab his arm to stop him walking into the swimming pool, after all she didn't want him to be wet for his first day of school.

* * *

"Well class it seems as if we have a new student. His name is Ryoga Saotome and he will be joining us for the remainder of the year… now class be quiet there is plenty of time to discuss things later after class. Now Ryoga if you could take the seat at the back we can begin class."

As Ryoga took his seat (without getting lost, he's not that bad) he couldn't help notice that he was the centre of attention. His fellow class mates were giving him funny looks and talking amongst themselves in hushed voices. He saw that Ukyo was also giving him a strange look, although it was as if she was trying to work something out, not that Ryoga noticed. Quiet only came when the sensei started his lesson.

At lunchtime Akane lead Ryoga to the tree that she usually ate lunch at while holding his hand to make sure he didn't get lost. There hadn't been any major problems so far that day, except the time when Ryoga tried to follow Akane into the girl's locker room and got pelted with blunt objects as a result. Other than that the only thing of note was the amount of gossip that had sprung up about Ryoga's change in name and Ranma's disappearance. Some had thought he was Ranma in disguise, others thought that Ryoga had been adopted by the Saotomes as Ranma's brother and he had later killed him in his sleep, and some thought for some strange reason that Ryoga had married Ranma-chan and she was still sleeping from a night of heavy love making. Needless to say Ryoga halted those rumours at the bud immediately.

Nabiki was having the time of her life, she had resumed selling information packs that detailed the truth about Ranma's disappearance and Ryoga's involvement in it. Soon it was all over school that Ryoga had taken over from Ranma, whose whereabouts were still a mystery.

Even when Ryoga and Akane took their seats and opened their lunches they could sense that EVERY set of eyes was focused on them. Akane was starting to get really angry at all the attention coming their way.

"Don't they have lives of their own to live? I mean, what's so interesting about us that requires people to stare constantly?"

"I don't know Akane. If we just ignore them maybe they will go away, after all it's fairly big news."

"Don't tell me you like all this Ryoga?" bellowed Akane

"AAACK! No no no of course not, they're annoying me too."

Akane glowered at him for a moment before slumping down in her seat, slightly depressed.

Sigh "Sorry Ryoga, it's just that I'm really getting fed up of people looking at me as if we were a museum attraction. Its not as if we're going to get married is it?"

"No, no I suppose we aren't" sighed Ryoga.

"Hey sugar, how are you guys?" greeted Ukyo as she sat herself down next to the two teenagers.

"Oh hi Ukyo. Things are alright, except that everyone is staring at us constantly" said Akane as she pointed out all the people who were looking in their direction.

"Yeah, I can see how that could become annoying." She then turned her attention to Ryoga who had just finished his bento. "So Ryoga, what's it like to be the new Saotome in town?"

"Not bad I guess" grunted Ryoga, "could be worse."

"I feel really sorry for you," sympathised Ukyo, "imagine having the panda as you're father! God it's enough to make you puke."

"Heh it's not so bad, besides he makes a good punching bag."

"Yeah well, that's probably the only thing he's worth having for. Hey does anyone want an Okonomiyaki?" asked Ukyo as she prepared her portable grill.

"Erm no thanks Ukyo I'm alright" said Ryoga, before his stomach started growling in disagreement.

Ukyo smirked at the sound, just like her Ranchan…sigh. "Alright one deluxe without the pork coming up, you want anything Akane?"

"Thanks Ukyo that would be great."

Soon the chef had produced two large Okonomiyakis and placed them in front of their respective owners. She had added a couple of extra touches to each one, a large heart on each one with Akane's having 'R.S' written inside and Ryoga's having 'A.T'. Not that Ryoga noticed as he dug in, but Akane gave the Ukyo a strange look before digging in herself, slightly disappointing Ukyo in their lack of reaction. Soon the two meals were finished and the three martial artists were just chatting amongst themselves about nothing in particular. They were soon interrupted however when they heard a distinctly familiar laugh in the distance.

"Oh great, just what I need" groaned Akane.

"Relax sugar there's nothing to worry about, after all she's still obsessed with Ranma isn't she?" reassured Ukyo. _Aren't we all though?_

In a matter of moments the black rose of St Herbeke high school landed in front of the group in her school uniform, and to everyone's surprise glomped onto Ryoga as soon as she saw him.

"What the hell?!?"

"Oh my darling Ranma-sama, how I have missed being in your loving embrace so" crowned Kodachi as she snuggled into Ryoga's body, while said pig-boy was waving his arms frantically unsure of what to do.

"What the hell are you talking about? He's Ryoga not Ranma, any idiot can see that" screamed Akane.

"That is just what you want people to think isn't it Akane? But you're vile plan to disguise my love behind this shabby and unworthy form fails to fool me, for true love never lies, even when disguised in such an ugly body."

"Hey who are you calling ugly, and what the heck are doing saying I'm Ranma. MY NAME IS RYOGA, NOT RANMA!" Ryoga shouted, although he was finding Kodachi's rubbing body slightly…distracting.

"Oh dear, it seems as if she has brainwashed you as well so that you would not wish to come to me", sighed Kodachi, "No matter, I am sure that a romantic evening that ends in the joining of two souls could fix things. Here, take this my love, for I searched far and wide yesterday to find the perfect gift." She then produced from nowhere a small glass bottle filled with an amber liquid.

"Erm miss Kuno, what's this?" asked Ryoga nervously as he looked at the bottle in her hands, refusing to take it.

"Why it is a tonic that has properties that enable love to flow between two people. If you were to take this then I am sure that the spell binding you to that harridan would be broken" explained Kodachi as she tried to force the bottle into Ryoga's grip.

"So basically it's a love potion," Akane said spitefully, "off course that's the only way you can find love isn't it, drugging people to like you."

Kodachi gave Akane a fierce glare at that comment. "I have no need to use such concoctions normally since my grace and beauty would be enough to dazzle any man alive. However due to you evil scheming I have to use this to break through the spells put on my love."

"Hey I'm not the one who puts spells on people!"

"You don't huh, I hardly believe it. After all there is no way that you're cooking could be so bad if you really were trying to make something edible, the only explanation is that you create vile concoctions disguised as badly cooked food to trap my poor Ranma-sama in you're clutches."

"Hey there's nothing wrong with my cooking!" growled Akane as she stood up and took an attacking stance facing the gymnast.

"Oh you wish to fight do you? Well I will make this quick since I have no wish to spend to long away from my Ranma darling" smirked Kodachi as she finally got off Ryoga and withdrew her ribbon as she got ready for the fight.

"Eh heh, don't mind me I'll just be going now…" muttered Ryoga as he got up and ran from the psycho now that she had let him go. Not that he couldn't beat her, but he didn't hit girls, no matter how scary they were.

"Wait for me Ranma darling, lead us somewhere private so that we may show our love for each other without being disturbed!" laughed Kodachi as she abandoned the fight and chased after her love.

"Hey wait for me you bitch, we haven't finished our fight!" Yep, Akane was chasing after them as well.

The only person remaining at the tree was Ukyo as she gazed in the direction that they had ran off in with a look of contemplation on her face.

_I wonder if I could slip Ryoga a love potion to get him together with Kodachi. Gah what am I thinking, I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy let alone my supposed fiancé!_

Shaking her head from such evil (but tempting) thoughts, Ukyo packed up her grill and headed to class, wondering if Akane and Ryoga would turn up at all.

* * *

Kodachi sighed as she tiredly walked through the front door of her mansion while heading towards her room to change from her uniform. The time she had spent running after Ranma so they could spend some time alone hadn't gone as planned. It seemed that because that Tendo bitch followed after them, he was panicked enough that he ran around in random patterns trying to remove her from their trail. Unfortunately he also lost her as well, and no matter how hard she looked there was no sign of him. If she wasn't certain of the love he felt for her then she would have thought that he was trying to avoid her, but that was nonsense. He would never try to spend time away from her.

So in a down cast mood she opened the door to her bedroom wondering how she could remove Akane's influence from things, when she saw her brother looking through her drawers. Rather than being upset about the invasion of privacy, her face was plastered with a toothy grin. At least she had found a way to improve her mood slightly.

"Hello brother dear, it's so nice to see you."

Kuno froze when he heard her voice. Damn it he was trapped in the act, how was he going to get out of this horrific situation? He knew that if he didn't do as she asked for now then he would be up to his eye balls in drugs and other unpleasant things, of course she could just blackmail him or worse. In the end he just sighed and prepared himself to face his fate.

"Hello sister dear, how are you" he replied, trying to hide his nervousness from his voice and failing.

Kodachi's grin grew at his reply. "Oh I am fine big brother, apart from loosing my Ranma-darling it was a wonderful day. Now we have to do something about this situation don't we. For now we are going to have to think of some punishment aren't we? I know, I want you to remove my shoes and socks please"

"Now sister dear?" stuttered Kuno slightly.

"Now!" confirmed Kodachi firmly.

Gulping slightly Kuno did as he was told gingerly.

"Hmm good. It's rather hot in here don't you think, so would you be a dear and take off my jacket, and then take off my skirt and blouse" purred Kodachi.

Slightly sweating now Kuno did it with trembling fingers and laid the clothes on her bed.

"Nicely done, now then please take of my bra and panties and place them with the rest of the clothes." The grin on her face was from ear to ear.

Hesitatingly Kuno did as commanded, hoping that he could get out of this alive. When he was done Kodachi paused for a moment to take in the results of Kuno's actions. She then opened the door to her room and gestured Kuno to leave.

"Thank you brother dear. Now please remember that the next time I find you wearing MY clothes that I will feed you to Mister Green Turtle covered in seasonings, are we understood?" she asked menacingly.

Kuno nodded rapidly as he ran as fast as he could out of her room while still keeping his family jewels covered. Kodachi watched as he left, and then she shut the door and started laughing manically to herself. That was exactly what she needed to make her feel better. When she stopped laughing the Black Rose glanced at the clothes that her brother had been wearing a moment ago and decided that the best thing to do was burn them outside, there was no way that she was going to wear those things again.

* * *

Ryoga was lost, again. It wasn't unusual for him to be lost, it was just annoying as hell. He had only gone to school for one day and he was already facing a long trip away from Nerima. He had to get back to the high school, or at least the dojo, he had spent far too long as a wanderer, he relished some time living in one place where he could call home. He knew it wouldn't do him any good, but he needed to vent.

"WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW?"

"Oh hello Ryoga-kun, you're back early from school."

Ryoga turned around and saw to his relief Kasumi standing in front of the Tendo dojo while carrying some grocery bags.

"Oh hi Kasumi. I got lost and well…"

Kasumi's expression brightened in understanding. "Oh I see, well at least you're here safe and sound. How was you're first day at school Ryoga-kun?"

"It was horrible Kasumi! First I was attacked by Kuno for no reason, then there were all these stupid rumours about me and Akane flying about. We were the centre of attention for the whole school, no one would give us any peace and quiet. I almost followed Akane into the girl's locker room, and at lunch time I get attacked by that nut Kodachi who thought that I was Ranma in disguise so she tried to give me some love potion. That's when I got lost trying to get away from her."

As Ryoga told her how his day went, Kasumi's expression went from concerned to a genuine smile that on everyone else would have been wicked, but on her just made her look as if she was happy about a couple of cute little puppies.

"Oh my, that sounded like fun, Ranma used to go through something like that every day. Could you be a gentlemen and help me carry these bags into the kitchen?"

"Erm, yeah sure Kasumi I'd love to" said Ryoga completely missing what Kasumi was insinuating. So saying that he picked up Kasumi's shopping bags and followed her inside.

Meanwhile out in the back garden…

"Thought of anything yet Saotome?"

"Not yet Tendo, I'll tell you when I think of something."

SPLASH

"Anything now Saotome?"

#NO!#, flip #What was that for anyway?# signed the soaking wet panda.

"Well I thought that you might have more success as a panda."

Genma just shook his fist at Soun as an answer and then got back to thinking his way out of the current solution.

* * *

Authors note

Ok, how many of you thought that the Kuno siblings were going to get it off together? Ewwww, that's just gross, you people have sick minds!

Now then, first of all I have to say that I'm sorry. I know that I said that this chapter would have Washu and Ranma meeting for the first time, but I realised after reading a review that I had left the Nerima part of the story half finished. So I decided to add a paragraph or two before the tournament to clear things up. That paragraph turned into over 6000 words! I decided that I couldn't really have a chapter that was getting close to 16000 words in length since that would be too long in my opinion, so I split it into two. Please don't send any flames saying that I should be burned at the stake for delaying things for even longer, I didn't intend to do it when I wrote my last chapter and it just turned out like this (starts doing the attack of the wild tiger in front of the computer). That is why I like you're review so much, this story would be slightly worse off without you guys (okay it would be terrible).

Besides I managed to have some fun at Kuno's expense, I'm sure that makes up for it.

I have nearly finished writing the tournament chapter though, so you guys should expect that by next week at the very latest, that meaning if I have a spell of being really lazy, just like the spell I went through over the last month. I just didn't feel like writing over Christmas so I just sat around doing sod all. Well now I'm writing again, so expect more chapters really soon, and again I am really sorry for keeping you waiting for Washu to meet up with Ranma, its just one of those things.

Although I'm confident that Washu will punish certain people for their past behaviour, I'm not sure that I want her to do as Alathon suggested and turn the nation into Pokegirls. While it would be funny, it would just make them more desperate and just make things worse. Still, I'm sure she'll think of something (evil laughter in the background).

Just a note for the next chapter, a lot the fighters named will have a common link for all names that are used. Try to see if you can work out what its.

Last chapter I asked a couple of things about Ryoko's powers. It is safe to say that while I was confused earlier, I am just as confused now. The whole teleport thing really has a lot of mixed opinions, I guess I'll just have to make something up.

Just to reassure some people, I may have used Juban as a location but that is all I will use it for. There are far too many sm crossovers already, I don't plan to increase the amount with this story, although I was possibly thinking of a sequal which involves SOMEONE being sent into a different dimension, which could be from the X-men, SM, or even Pokemon (can you imagine it, 'Ran Ohki I choose you!'). Even then I probably wouldn't choose to do a crossover with SM unless I was stuck for ideas.

One last thing, I was reading some reviews for some earlier chapters and it was mentioned that because Ranma is the 'latest model' that he should have better powers than her. The problem is that I can't think of anything that hasn't either come from Spiderman or involves a small yellow rat electrocuting people. If anyone has any good ideas then it would be a great help if you sent them in. If I like them I'll use them.

Keep sending those reviews in, even the flames are welcome.


	10. Chapter nine

A:N. I am aware that there have been several problems on this chapter, somehow all the corrections that JohnnyG made were simply added to the mistakes thatI made, making this chapter have loads of repeated words and stuff. My fault, not Johnny's. I cheaked this version and I hope it is good enough, but by the time I add this it many of you may have already read the version with the mistakes and not want to read this one. Hopefully the problems will go away.

* * *

Today was the day of the tournament; Ranma had set out an hour early so that he wouldn't be late. The problem was that the map on the poster was not the easiest to read, and the location was in a poorly signposted outskirt of Tokyo. Therefore Ranma was rushing slightly as he was running awfully close to the 9:00 signing in time. It would be pointless for him to be there only to turn up late.

Ranma was still not in a good mood, that stupid dog had eaten all of his supplies and the only way he had been able to eat was by using all the savings he had managed to keep hidden from Nabiki. Unfortunately that wasn't much, so he was left with only a week's supply of food before he would need to get some more supplies. That meant either stealing (something he was against doing since it was what Genma would have done) or getting a job, something that wasn't easy to do for a young ronin on the streets.

It seemed that the tournament would be held outdoors rather than in a training hall. All around him were farmer's fields and empty plots, hardly a building in sight. As far as Ranma was concerned that would be a good thing, mainly because his specialty was mid air combat and out here there would be plenty of space to do that in. Of course there was also the fact that if he wanted to use any of his special techniques, then no buildings would be damaged, not that he would use them of course. Ranma was planning on winning this tournament with pure skill, so any tricks he had learnt learned from the Amazons were not going to be used. The only exception would be if his opponent pulled out destructive tricks of his own, or if someone as strong as Ryoga showed up, then the kids gloves would be off.

Off course being outside also meant it could also rain on him, he just hoped his luck would hold out today.

As Ranma turned the corner he sighed in relief as he saw where the tournament was being held. It was indeed being held in a field, and was seemingly going to be held in a single large arena that had been set up outside. All around the wooden platform were raised seating that was able to hold five hundred people in each stand.

Apart from the fighting arena there were a large number of tents including a first aid tent, stalls selling various types of food, a few fairground attractions and several official looking tents, including the signing in tent. It looked like a fair as much as a tournament, maybe the tournament was just an attraction. Ranma really didn't care as long as he got the prize money so he could eat, then he would be alright.

Speaking of which, Ranma realized that he had made it in the nick of time. If he had been five minutes later then he wouldn't have been able to sign in for the tournament, and therefore unable to claim any money. Ranma was relived relieved at the prospect of not having to steal to make a living; he was determined not to end up like his po…Genma.

He walked up to the signing in desk and waited to sign in. He had to wait awhile for the group ahead of him to sign in, a kendoist with a large following of girls from the look of it. The possessive looks on a couple of them made Ranma almost cringe in sympathy for the young man; it seemed he wasn't the only one with woman troubles.

Once the group in front of him was finished signing in, and had moved on, Ranma was at the front of the queue.

"Yes may I help you?" asked a plump looking woman behind the desk in a business like manner.

"Erm yeah, is this where I sign in for the tournament?" asked Ranma.

"Bright spark aren't you?" said the woman rudely before pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen before and handing them to the martial artist.

"Fill these in and then give them back to me."

Ranma moved aside and looked at the form. He soon realized that he would have problems deciding how to answer a few of the questions that were required.

_Hmmm, what do I call myself? I can hardly call myself Ranma Saotome can I, so who am I going to be?_ Ranma thought about it for a short moment before inspiration struck and he wrote down a name._ Well it will have to do, now then what gender am I? _He glanced up at the sky for his answer.

_Male hopefully.

* * *

_

Meanwhile

"Tenchi, lets go and have some grilled burgers," said Ryoko as she took one of Tenchi's arms and attempted to drag him off to the American styled stall.

"No let's get some Ramen," said Ayeka as she took Tenchi's other arm and attempted to take him to the Chinese Ramen stall. The fact that they both had a hold on Tenchi wasn't really all that unusual, and it wouldn't really cause too many problems if it wasn't for one small fact about the locations for the two stalls.

They were on opposite sides of the field.

So when both of the young, alien women noticed there was something stopping Tenchi from allowing him to go to with them, they were understandably angry when they found out what caused it.

"Let go of my Tenchi," growled Ryoko as she gave a slight pull on Tenchi's arm, not hearing his whimper.

"What do you mean your Tenchi? Me and my soon to be husband were going to enjoy some nice traditional Ramen," responded Ayeka with a tug in her direction. Neither noticed a second whimper coming from their love.

"Why would Tenchi want some stupid Ramen when he can have something as gorgeous as juicy American burgers?" yelled Ryoko as she pulled Tenchi towards the burger bar.

"We are not in America Ryoko, we are in Japan, so we shouldn't eat American food," yelled Ayeka as she tugged Tenchi her way.

Katshuhito sighed in despair, why was it that every time they went anywhere they had to make it difficult?

"Girls would you please let go of Tenchi, if you're not careful he won't be able to fight in the tournament."

Needless to say both of Tenchi's arms were quickly released, though not before both girls gave the other a sharp glare that clearly stated that this wasn't over yet.

Happy that Tenchi was going to be in a fit state to be fighting later on, Katshuhito glanced at the people who were accompanying them. Sasami seemed to be excited to be here and was looking around at all the fairground stalls with a fair amount of glee., and Ryo-ohki was sitting in her arms contentedly while nibbling on one of the carrots. Mihoshi was almost as excited as Sasami and if it wasn't for the efforts of Kiyone, then he had no doubt that she would have visited half of the stalls already. His son in law son-in-law was glancing around the area with interest while looking at the timetable for today's events. At the back of the party he spotted a morose figure who was grumbling to herself.

"Will you stop sulking Washu?" sighed Katshuhito.

Washu glanced up at him, giving him a dirty look, before looking back down on to the ground and muttering something about 'spoil sports'.

Before they had left the shrine that morning, Katshuhito had made everyone promise to keep any 'out of town' activity out of today's events unless an emergency required them. That included banning Ryoko from flying/teleporting/etc, leaving Ayeka's guardians at home, banning the GP from showing their firearms on public display, and (much to her chagrin) banning Washu from 'investigating' any of the other fighters at the tournament. Katshuhito had even gone as far as saying that while the tournament was going on she was forbidden from bringing out her computer, it was just too weird to see a holographic screen floating in the air. The only exception was if something really unusual turned up that required immediate investigation.

The others had complained about how strict he was being;, after all he hadn't been as strict before when they went out to the Fair together. However Katshuhito figured that extra caution was a good idea today. Gathered here today were a large number of people who were trained to be able to spot things that others couldn't. In his time on Earth he had met quite a few martial artists who could not only spot something out of place in the group, but have hade enough experience in the supernatural to figure out that something was 'odd' about them. There were even some who were skilled enough at reading a person's aura that they determined that he was an alien at a single glance. While he doubted that there would be anyone of that caliber here today, Katshuhito was not going to bring extra attention to his guests than was needed.

Bringing his mind back to present he saw that Tenchi was fidgeting slightly with his boken, no doubt he was slightly nervous about the day ahead of him.

"How are you feeling Tenchi?"

"Not bad Grandpa, I just hope I will do alright today."

"Off Of course you will Lord Tenchi, no one will stand a chance against you today," encouraged Ayeka.

"Yeah Tenchi, you got nothing to worry about. You beat that slime ball Kagato didn't you, none of these weaklings will be able to lay a finger on you," agreed Ryoko.

"However, unlike you're past battles you will not be using the Tenchi-ken, nor will you be able to use the light hawk wings if you get into trouble," reminded Katshuhito. "And I would be careful before assuming that the people here are weak, they may not have access to Jurian power or anything like that, but they may be able to give Tenchi a serious fight."

"Stop being so negative," said Ayeka. This will be a breeze for Lord Tenchi, especially with the way you have been training him this last week."

"Yeah, I mean two hours everyday with you and Tenchi's exhausted," added Ryoko.

"I'm just being practical you two, it is always unwise to underestimate you're opponent." To tell the truth Katshuhito wasn't that awed by the training sessions he had put Tenchi through. After all, two hours a day was nothing to some people he had met in the past, and in his youth he was one of them.

He turned to his son who was still looking at the timetable. "So Nobuhiki, where does Tenchi have to be first?"

Nobuhiki glanced at the sheet before reading the relevant information out. "It says here that in about five minutes all the competitors have to go into the introduction tent to find out who they will be fighting." He looked around and then pointed to a large tent that seemed to dominate all the others in both size and importance. "It's that one I think."

"You better get going Tenchi, you don't want to be late do you," said Katshuhito as he gently prodded his grandson in the right direction. "And good luck.". They watched as he entered the tent before Ryoko and Ayeka broke out into another fight, Mihoshi and Sasami started pleading for some ice cream and Washu continued grumbling about killjoy priests and experiments that could be done to them. Katshuhito sighed again for what seemed to be the hundredth time today; keeping this lot out of trouble was going to be tough.

* * *

Ranma had just finished filling in the demonic paperwork from hell. They weren't happy just getting his name, age and style of martial arts; they wanted loads of insane information like his favorite color and asking for a thirty-word sentence to describe how he felt about Volvos. Ranma didn't understand it, but the forms were there so he was going to sign them.

Once he finished he went back to sign-in tent to turn in his forms. There, he was understandable upset when he found out that it was only the first sheet that he filled in was important. The other ten that he had filled in was a set of completion forms that had belonged to one of the officials. It seemed he wasn't the only one who was upset, the official who owned the completion forms was highly disappointed with the answer that Ranma had given for one of the questions, apparently Volvos weren't a Chinese delicacy found in most restaurants, not that Ranma cared much.

Getting those annoying thoughts out of his head he looked on the timetable to see were he was supposed to be, maybe if he had time he could get a quick snack before he had to be anywhere. Unfortunately, he found out to his dismay that he should have been at the 'introductory meeting' five minutes ago. Ranma did the only sensible thing he could think of, he ran like hell from tent, trying to find out were he was supposed to go, completely forgetting that he had a map with him.

* * *

"Hello, and welcome the very first 'All Japan Anything Goes martial arts tournament.'. Today we will be…"

At that moment a red blur burst into the tent and looked around feverishly. Slightly annoyed at the interruption the announcer decided to ask the young man politely if he could help.

"Excuse me, can I help you sir?"

The young man paused slightly and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Is this the place to go for the fighting tournament, only I was late and…"

"Yes, yes you're in the right place," interrupted the announcer. "Now, if you would please take a seat over there, then I can continue the introduction, hopefully uninterrupted this time."

"Heh, heh, thanks," said Ranma as he took a seat in the back row. Now that he wasn't rushing around he could observe the around him. The introduction was taking place in the biggest tent in the area, easily big enough to fit a circus in. The main floor was covered by four separate arenas that were very similar to the one he had fought Kodachi during the gymnastics match, only there were no side ropes keeping people in and that they were easily twenty meters in each direction, and were therefore far larger than the one he had fought Kodachi on. They weren't as large as the one outside though, so he guessed that these were for trials or something.

In one corner of the tent, the one he was sitting in at the moment, were a large group of people of all shapes and sizes, about sixty if he guessed correctly. Standing in front of the group was the man who had helped Ranma earlier. He wasn't a very tall man, nor did he have a physique that screamed he was a fighter. In fact he looked very ordinary, except that he had a quaffed blond hair and sunglasses and was wearing a suit. In fact, he looked more like a business man than anything else, not the sort of person who ran tournaments from his experience, but then he hadn't been to that many tournaments. Most were underground fight clubs that his father would take him to for some quick money.

The announcer, fully recovered from being interrupted, started his speech again. "Ok, welcome to the very first 'All Tokyo Anything Goes martial arts tournament.'. We hope to have brought together the very best fighters in the area to see who is the best of the best, and depending on its success, this tournament will hopefully expand in the future to include the whole of the island, and maybe the rest of the country if it proves to be popular. The winner of the tournament will be placed on our honor board and will win themselves a total of 100,000 yen."

Ranma glanced around at the people who had turned up to the tournament. From what he could see he wasn't very impressed, most of the auras were unfocused and not very powerful, heck Akane could beat most of these people up easily. There were a couple of exceptions, but he couldn't really sense any more than that from here.

"However not all of you are going to fight in the tournament proper," continued the announcer, "seeing as there is a large number of people here today we are going to have a series of tryouts first to determine who the top fighters are. The top sixteen will go on to the final, which will be held outside." He then held out a bucket, which mad made a rattle when it was shaken. "In here are a set of numbers, each number represents a person fighting at the tournament. If you look at you're information pack you should see a number on one of the sheets… the one saying you are participating in the tournament." Ranma looked at his and found the number sixty-four highlighted. He saw a sticker that was included and placed it on his shirt. "This number will be used to decide who you are fighting, as I or one of my assistants will pick a two numbers at random. Those two numbers will represent which two fighters will meet in a ring and will fight."

"The first sixteen people to win three fights will be entered into the tournament proper, while those who loose lose two will be knocked out of the tournament. If more than sixteen people win three fights then it will be decided on who won lost the least fights, and if that doesn't decide it will be decided in a one off fight with everyone in the same ring, but we'll explain more about that if there is a need for it. As you may know all the fights are going to take place today, which means that you will have to have a lot of stamina as well as skill and strength to become the champion. It may seem harsh folks, but that's how it's going to be done."

"Now for the rules of the completion. Like I said earlier, the first sixteen to win three fights will go through, while those who loose two fights will be knocked out of the tournament. The decision of the officials is final, so no amount of arguing will change their minds. To win a fight you can either knock you're your opponent out, throw them out of the ring, or get them to yield defeat, something that is especially useful for you weapon users out there. Each fight will last five minutes each, and if a clear winner has not been decided in that time then the referee will decide the outcome of the fight on several different categories;, which are aggression, number of hits given and taken, the amount of damage received and the number of times you were knocked to the floor. Again the referee's decision is final, so don't bother arguing with them."

"There are several ways in which you can be disqualified and if you wish to check in you're your information pack it will explain all to you. We expect you to read all of these rules before competing, and if any of these are broken then you will be removed from the tournament. No excuses will be excepted unless there are issues which are out of you're control. Now while we are going to decide who fights first we will allow you time to read the rules for those people who haven't done so yet." The announcer then headed of off to the blackboard with a group of previously unnoticed men in kimonos and started picking out numbers from the bucket and writing them down.

Deciding that it would probably be a good idea to look at the rules before he found himself chucked out on a technicality, Ranma flicked through the papers he had been given. He soon found the rules and glanced over it briefly to see if there was anything important that he should know.

They seemed alright to him, no stupid rule saying he had to marry the looser of the fight if they were a girl or anything; just you're your bog standard rules. It would have been funny to see Kodachi try to enter the tournament, nearly every weapon she used was against the rules here, as well as the banning of drugs and powders, not that she would care.

Glancing around he spotted several different styles of fighters that were assembled. From you're usual Karate and Kempo to Kendo, and one of the kendo people was the boy he saw earlier in front of him in the queue, and judging by the way he held his sword Ranma was sure he would be fun to fight against, if nothing else.

At that moment the announcer and his assistants had finished deciding the order of the fights and were about to tell the assembled fighters what the order of the fights were to be in. When Ranma found out his fight wasn't until the thirtieth, he walked up to one of the arenas to see what the competition was made of.

* * *

Tenchi watched his opponent warily as he took to the ring for the first time. He was slightly nervous at the number of people who had turned up, and a lot of them were big, mean and nasty looking. Tenchi was really didn't want to embarrass himself or his grandfather, especially when he had been so encouraging to him in the first place. Earlier he was quietly confident in his abilities, but now after seeing his competition he wasn't so sure in himself.

This fight was one of the first four to take place, so there was a lot of attention on the first group of fighters. Lots of spectators had arrived from the fair to see the qualifying round, although Tenchi's friends and family were not among them. Each arena was raised slightly so that everyone could see easily, even those at the very back. Tenchi really didn't want to do anything stupid like falling over his own feet or drop his boken; he would never hear the end of it if his grandfather found out.

Tenchi's first opponent was another sword user. He was a year older than Tenchi and was slightly taller with a longer reach than the pig tailed Jurian. His long blond hair fell down his back in a graceful, yet masculine, sweep and he was wearing a kendo uniform like Tenchi that fit his firm frame nicely. The woman women who were in the crowd, both fighters and spectators, gave him dreamy looks and muttered 'what a hunk.' He gave Tenchi a dazzling smile that reflected some light into his eyes, blinding him slightly, before he spoke.

"Hark, what do I see before my eyes but a mere peasant who dares to oppose my obvious might. Come peasant, tell me you're your name so that I may know who I destroy so easily," drawled the blond as if board bored of his company.

"Well, my name is…."

"But isn't it impolite to not give one's name first before asking another's? Fine then, I am the bringer of justice against all those who do evil, I am the one whose mere mention sends fear into his opponents, I am none other than the rising star of the kendo world Hirotaka Suzuoki, the Shimmering Sun of the Tokyo institution!" A bright light shone onto him as he mentioned his name.

The crowd got very excited at the speech, several girls were chatting avidly with each other while several of the guys were wondering what the hell had just happened. Ranma, who was watching this particular match, was feeling very ill all of a sudden for some reason.

"Huh?" Tenchi wasn't sure if this guy needed help or not, but the light effects were pretty cool.

"Now then, now that you know my name it seems only right that you as a mere mortal tell me what you are called, after all I need to know who I will beat," said Hirotaka.

"Erm, my name's Tenchi, Tenchi Masaki."

"Ah yes, a name that does indeed belong to someone of a lower class as yourself. I am surprised that you are not quivering in fear as you look at me now, but alas I fear you will do so in the future. Oh what a tragedy it must be to face my awesome might knowing full well that you do not stand a chance," bemoaned Hirotaka as he clutched his sword to his bosom and took a dramatic pose.

_Oh god no, it's contagious!_ thought Ranma in dismay.

Tenchi was about to argue that he was neither a peasant, nor remotely frightened by the 'Shimmering Sun' when the referee decided to intervene.

"Hey come on now hurry up, we haven't got all day now you know!"

Hirotaka fell out of his pose and gave a harsh glare at the referee, who was dressed in black like all the others. "Hirotaka the Shimmering Sun does not hurry up for anyone peasant!"

"Now none of that sonny., I don't care if you're the emperor of Japan, on in this ring I'm in charge and I can disqualify you for time wasting time if I want to. Now are you two ready to fight yet or do you want to finish your discussion out of the ring?"

Tenchi and Hirotaka nodded and both took positions facing each other. Tenchi noticed that his opponent hadn't taken a very good stance and was leaving lots of holes in his defense, but then his grandfather did the same thing to suck Tenchi into his traps. This 'shimmering sun' was either very good, or pretty damn poor.

The referee glanced at both fighters, checking to see if they were ready. When they both gave him a nod he announced the start of the fight.

"OK you know the rules. This fight is between Hirotaka Suzuoki and Tenchi Masaki. Ready… FIGHT!"

It was pretty anticlimactic really. Hirotaka charged in swinging his boken as if he was trying to sweep the pavement. Tenchi simply stepped to the side and twisted his boken out of his grip before hitting him on his lower back so that the momentum would be enough to send him out of the ring.

Tenchi couldn't believe it, he had won his first match, and easily at that. From the way his opponent was sprouting off, he expected someone who could fight, not someone who was obviously so unskilled.

However not everyone agreed that the fight was over. Getting up from the floor, Hirotaka got back onto the arena and charged Tenchi with his spare boken while shouting, "I fight on!" Surprised that his opponent was still fighting, Tenchi only reacted in the barest amount of time and managed to block the clumsy strike that was headed for his forehead. He was soon blocking like mad, trying to calm Hirotaka down so he would stop fighting, but for all the good it did him he may as well sung a 1950's ballad in Norwegian. The referee was having just as little luck, all the shouting he was doing was having no affect whatsoever as he valiantly tried to split them up.

Ranma meanwhile was impressed with Tenchi's skill while trying to calm his opponent down, he hoped they would be able to fight later on. He was about to jump up to help him when help arrived from elsewhere.

"Damn where the hell is he, the boss is going to kill me when he finds out we lost him."

"Hey I found him, come on guys lets get him before someone gets hurt!"

Said help arrived as a group of ten burly men wearing white jackets jumped onto the stage and brought down the raging kendoist, forcing him into a strait jacket. No matter how violently he struggled, he couldn't fore force himself out of their grasp and in the end he ended up laughing at the top of his lungs in a manner of a lunatic, which seemed to be what he actually was.

Soon the men had managed to restrain him and had dragged him off out of the tent, leaving only a very confused group of spectators, a confused Tenchi, and a very confused and angry referee.

The referee at this time was understandably upset and so he asked for answers in a suitably subtle way.

"What the hell was all that about?"

Tenchi was left scratching his head wondering if that counted as a win or not.

* * *

"Could numbers 47 and 64 please make their way to arena four. I repeat, could numbers 47 and 64 make there way to area four, thank you."

"Hey you get up!"

"Huh, what?" asked Ranma. After watching a couple of fights he had gone back to his seat and ended up taking a nap, not taking any notice of his surroundings. So he was startled when he was shaken awake by a rather large man sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry but I had to wake you up, but you're your fight is about to start any minute now."

"Oh crap, you're kidding me!" yelped Ranma as he leapt into the air and headed of towards the fighting arenas. The man just stood where he was and looked at his watch as if waiting for something. Sure enough ten seconds later a blushing Ranma approached the guide while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Erm… you wouldn't happen to know where I'm fighting would you?"

The official smiled before pointing out the furthest arena from their current location. "You need to head off to arena four I believe, which is that one over there."

Ranma gave the man a quick bow in gratitude before running at top speed towards the afore mentioned arena.

Eventually Ranma was arrived at the fighting arena, and after checking to see if there were any gymnasts hiding underneath (once bitten, twice shy) he leaped leapt onto the fighting floor. He glanced at the other occupants of the ring and started sweating slightly at the annoyed look he was getting from the referee.

"Its about time you got here kid, if you were thirty seconds later I would have been forced to declare this fight as an automatic win for your opponent," growled the referee.

"Yeah you wimp, too scared to face me were you?"

Ranma turned his attention away from the official to his opponent. The man he was facing was a true behemoth, being at least seven feet tall and having an incredibly muscular build. The fact that he was wearing army fatigues, including the 'but butt kicking' boots, the khaki trousers and the muscle T that clung to him like a second skin, and the fact that he had a mass of body hair and stubble on his face was enough to make him a very intimidating sight. Each of his arms had to be the size of Ranma's legs, and the look he was giving Ranma was one that wasn't seen on most pacifists. Any sane person would be terrified at the prospect of facing off against such a foe.

Ranma gave him a disinterested glance over before he put his arms behind his back and started bouncing slightly on his toes as he continued to look around at his surroundings.

"Hey punk I was talking to ya!" yelled the man, not at all liking the fact that he was being ignored.

"Look can we get on with this?", drawled Ranma. "The quicker we fight, the quicker I can beat your ass so that I can get something to eat."

"Oh you're a confident punk ain't ya? I like that, its more fun breaking a man's spirit when their have a lot of it." The mammoth then stood up even taller that before and gave Ranma a look that made most of the audience cower. "My name is Ryunosuke Ohbayashi, but people otherwise call me 'The Man Mountain Goliath,' you might have heard of me."

Ranma yawned loudly. "Naw, not really, I only know decent fighters."

It was obvious that Goliath wasn't expecting this kind of reaction, which was evident from the steam coming out of his ears (only figuratively speaking of course) and the reddening of his face.

"Oh I am really going to enjoy rubbing you're face under my boot boy…" growled Goliath.

"Are you two finished with your pissing contest yet or what?" asked the referee impatiently.

The two men nodded to him and took their stances, Goliath favoring an attacking boxing stance with a look of murder on his face, while Ranma took his usual 'non-stance,', meaning standing casually with his arms behind his back, and just smirked at his opponent. Seeing that they were ready, and feeling slightly sorry for the kid, the referee started the fight.

"This match is between Ryunosuke Ohbayashi and Ranma Nanashi, follow the rules and everything will be fine. Ready...FIGHT!"

Goliath came in fast with a huge haymaker, which threatened to take Ranma's head off if it connected. He was surprised though when Ranma simply leant back the barest of fractions and avoided the punch. He did the same to the next punch, and the punch after that, and the one after that. Soon Ranma was casually ducking and weaving blow after blow, while Goliath was punching as fast as he could at the elusive target, his punches getting sloppier and sloppier as time went on. Eventually he resorted to kicks as well, but it was obvious to those watching that he normally relied on his fists to fight.

Panting and sweating, he tried to goad his opponent into a mistake. "What's with all the dancing around kid, to scared and weak to fight like a man?"

Ranma effortlessly jumped over a sloppy kick and then avoided the follow-up punch in midair. "Not really, just warming up a bit first." He landed gracefully at the edge of the ring and waited for his opponent to make a move, his arms still behind his back.

Something inside of Goliath snapped at the obvious disrespect the kid was giving him. He had to admit that he was fast, faster than him anyway, but to not even attempt to fight in a respectable tournament was really pissing him off. As soon as he saw the brat land near the edge of the ring Goliath charged at him at full pelt with his arm cocked back, hoping to get that infuriating smirk of his face.

Ranma almost sighed in disappointment when he saw the giant rush at him. To be truthful Ranma was really enjoying himself. While 'Goliath' (what sort of name was that anyway?) wasn't giving him a challenge, it was still fun fighting him. He was about as skilful as Akane when they first met a year ago (with his arms anyway, he couldn't kick to save his life). The strength in those massive arms would be able to do some serious damage if they ever contacted anything, nothing to what Ranma could do of course, but it would still give a nasty bruise all the same.

The reason Ranma sighed was because it seemed that the 'Man Mountain' relied on intimidating his opponents with his size and strength rather than use any amount of skill. That was alright for opponents who hadn't fought any really tough fights, but Ranma just found it slightly annoying. He knew of a certain patriarch who would do something similar. He also had a large temper, which was making him fight less effectively than he could. The longer the fight went, the angrier Goliath got, the sloppier he became with his punches, which made them much easier to avoid, and therefore made the fight less enjoyable for Ranma. Now he was doing exactly the same thing as Akane had done in their first fight, charging in recklessly with no thought of control at all. Well, Ranma would put him out of his misery and show him how big a mistake that was against someone of his class.

Goliath could feel victory coming his way, there was no way that the punk would avoid this, and when he hit he was going to enjoy making the fight last till they ran out of time. He wouldn't except any forfeits or any other crap like that, he was going to show the kid the meaning of pain. He was soon in range to deliver a crippling strike and swung with everything he had at the kids face.

Goliath was expecting the kid to try to avoid the punch, and he definitely expected to get some kind of hit in if he did. He didn't expect the kid to catch his arm, and he really didn't expect to end up flying through the air over the crowd and almost landing in the arena next to them.

CRASH

…and there was no way in hell that he expected it to hurt so damn much.

Ranma watched as the giant crashed into the side of the raised arena next to them heads first, almost knocking the fighters on it of balance with the shockwave, causing Ranma to wince and hope he wouldn't get in trouble for it. He was kind of disappointed at the outcome of the fight, he had ended it with one of the most basic judo moves ever, a throw that most white belts were taught in their first couple of lessons. To fall for something like that was just pathetic, even Akane could get out of that one.

The referee stared at the young man that had somehow won the fight. He was sure that the kid didn't stand a chance, especially with all the dodging he was doing to avoid ending up in hospital, although he had to admit that his skill in dodging was exceptionally high. And to end the fight with such a basic move meant one of two things, one he was either a very lucky beginner…

…or he was a very good fighter.

Realizing he was just standing pretty when he had a job to do, he approached the victor and raised his arm in victory as he named him the winner. As he did so he had to wonder how good this guy was.

* * *

A bit earlier

CRASH

"What the hell was that?" wondered Tenchi as he felt the floor beneath him shake violently for a moment. He was lucky to avoid crashing to the arena floor, as he was just able to catch himself.

His opponent wasn't so lucky. A tall karate black-belt with a muscular frame hit the floor painfully and struggled to get back on his feet. That may have had something to do with the large number of hits Tenchi managed to get in on his body and head with his boken, as well as a couple of shots to the mid drift (although he wasn't hit south of the border in any way, if you get what I mean).

Slightly surprised at the interruption, Tenchi turned to see his opponent on the ground, and apparently not getting up.

The referee seemed to agree, as he counted down from ten before raising Tenchi's hand.

"The winner is Tenchi Masaki!!!"

After a smaller applause than he was expecting, Tenchi left the arena and headed of off to see who his next opponent was, but was stopped by a call from behind him.

"Hey, the guy with the boken, wait up!"

Tenchi turned to see who it was, and to see if it was him who was being called. After a quick scan of the crowd he saw the guy who had asked him to stop approach him.

He was a young man (although a couple of years older than Tenchi) in a red and black Chinese outfit. He was about 5'10 and had a well muscled, but agile build, much more suited to a gymnast than a fighter in Tenchi's opinion. As the young man stopped in front of Tenchi he was able to get a better look at his face. Blue eyes, black hair in a small pigtail like his, and an innocent look about him. He was also scratching the back of his head nervously with a similar expression plastering his features.

"Did you want to talk to me?" asked Tenchi curiously, wondering what the slightly older boy wanted from him.

"Eh, heh, well I just wanted to apologize for interrupting your fight , and well…" the young man said apologetically.

"Did you say you interrupted my fight?" asked Tenchi., "I can't remember anyone getting in the way of the fight, are you sure you did something?"

The young man looked slightly surprised for a moment. "Didn't you fall over when the ring shook under you?"

"That was you? I thought that it was a small earth tremor or something!"

The pigtailed youth (the older one) (the one in Chinese clothes) started laughing nervously while increasing his head scratching. "Heh eh, well you see, that was me. My fight kind of got out of control for a moment," he said while pointing back at the arena that Tenchi had just come from.

What Tenchi saw was quite a sight, lying on the floor next to his arena was a HUGE man wearing army combats. He was sure that the man could have bear hugged both Azaka and Kamidake at the same time with no trouble!

He was also unconscious after colliding with the side of his arena head first and was currently receiving medical attention. It was then that something that the other youth had told him registered in his head.

"You mean to tell me that you did that?" Tenchi yelped incredulously. The distance between each of the fighting floors was easily 40 feet; he couldn't believe anyone could do that, short of Ryoko anyway.

"Well, yeah that was me. All I did was throw him out of the ring, although I guess I over did it a bit."

Tenchi had to agree, if he had thrown that giant hard enough to hit the arena as hard as he did, then the guy must have put in some serious strength. The two young men walked to the seating area and found a couple of seats while still talking to each other.

"Yeah well don't worry about it; the fight was almost finished anyway so you didn't affect it too much." It was then that Tenchi realized that he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Tenchi Masaki."

"Tenchi huh, well my name's Ranma Sao…erm Ranma Nanashi. So you said you won your fight anyway, even with my, erm…help?"

"Yeah I did, it's the second fight I won today, one more fight and I'm through to the final. How about you, how have you been doing?"

"Me? Well I've only had one fight and you saw how that one turned out…" Ranma then pointed at Tenchi's boken., "So what style do you study, I'm guessing some sort of Kendo from the boken you're carrying around."

"Yeah that's right, although I doubt you would have heard of the style if I follow. It's only used by members of my family, and I only know of my grandfather and a few others who use it." Not that he didn't know of others who used it besides the Jurian royal family, it was possible that the entire Jurian army had at least some skill at it, even if they weren't the front line fighters.

"A family style huh? Sounds cool, family styles can be really effective if they're done right."

"It is a good style, though I'm nowhere near as good as my Grandfather yet. He seems to be able to beat me every time we fight effortlessly. He may be old (older than most people) but he's still very good."

"Heh, I know what you mean. I practice a fighting style called Anything Goes Martial Arts, and the Grandmaster of the style is an old pervert called Happosai."

"What do you mean pervert, does he look at woman naked and stuff?"

"Well yeah he does that, but he mainly steals their underwear and gropes their chests."

"He steals their underwear huh, well that's kind of perverted."

"Tell me about, especially when the women are still wearing them when he steals them."

"When their wearing them!?" yelled Tenchi incredulously. Did he hear right or was his ears playing tricks on him?

"Yep, annoys the hell out of them too," continued Ranma, as if the idea of people being that perverted was completely normal, which for him it kind of was. "The thing is that he's such a good martial artist that there's hardly anyone who can beat him. About the only two who can are me and the Old Ghoul."

Tenchi was about to ask more when he saw a couple of friendly faces enter the marquee they were in.

"Hey Grandfather, Washu-chan, over here!" yelled Tenchi as he waved them over.

The two aliens heard the call and after finding Tenchi's location headed towards it, taking seats next to him.

"Hi Gramps, Washu-chan, how's it going?"

"Not bad, Ryoko and Ayeka are taking Sasami on some of the rides and Mihoshi and Kiyone were wining all the prizes on the shooting range last time I saw them. No idea where your father is though," answered Katshuhito. He then turned to Ranma and gave him a weird glance that only lasted for a moment before allowing his expression to go back to normal. "Who's your friend Tenchi?" he asked.

"Eh? Oh, Grampa, this is Ranma Nanashi, one of the fighters in the tournament. Ranma this is my Grandfather Katshuhito, and the person with him is Washu…"

"But please call me Washu –chan, everyone else does," said the small girl cutely.

"Hey Katshuhito, Washu-chan," greeted Ranma, noticing immediately that the old man walked like a master fighter, while the little girl had… something odd about her, those eyes just looked too mature for her small body.

"So Tenchi how has it been going so far?" enquired his grandfather curiously.

"Fine so far, fought two, won two. They were pretty easy though, one was just a black belt at Karate and the other was a lunatic with a sword. He had no skill whatsoever and in the end he had to be dragged from the ring in a straight jacket."

"Yeah I watched that fight, reminds me of someone I used to know, only he was worse."

"Worse than that guy, you've got be kidding."

Ranma sighed as he told the three about him. "Kuno was this idiotic kendoist who went to my old school, came from this really rich, nutty family so he decided he could get away with what he wanted. Anyone not of 'noble birth' was a peasant, and I was called the 'foul sorcerer Saotome' because he could never beat me in a fight, so I had to be using dark magic to do it."

"Yeah that sounds familiar, that 'Shimmering Sun' called me that plenty of times in our fight."

"Good thing Ryoko wasn't there, otherwise he may have become fish paste," chuckled Washu.

"Well I have to admit that while he was an idiot Kuno was a very good fighter," acknowledged Ranma **very** reluctantly. "With a sword he was pretty useful, he could cut down trees with just his boken and had this cool air pressure attack. Without it though he was left looking pretty, which was why I never had any respect for him, without his sword he was nothing."

"Hmm… let me guess, you're one of those who feel that weapon users aren't as good as unarmed fighters," said Katshuhito.

"Well sort of," agreed Ranma hesitantly., "I mean I don't have anything against people who fight with weapons, I had to use weapons in a few matches I fought last year. It's just those who can't fight with their fists, if it came down to it that bothers me. If their weapon is taken, or they don't have it at a certain time, then their pretty useless. Most weapon users can be beaten by simply taking their weapon. Once that's done it's your fight by forfeit, if they rely on it too much," explained Ranma.

Katshuhito raised an eyebrow at the answer, admittedly underestimating the rough speaking youth. He was right of course, relying on a weapon was useless, if you lost it in battle and if you couldn't fight well enough to at least regain your sword, then you were dead. The only exception to the case was the Tenchi-ken, which couldn't be removed from its owner's grip. Other than that the general applied, rely on your weapon to your peril.

"Wise words indeed, although you first have to remove the weapon from its owner, in some cases that may be easier said than done," replied Katshuhito, smiling confidently at the youth.

Puzzlement was shown on Ranma's features for a moment before recognition replaced it. "Hey, I think Tenchi mentioned you earlier. You're his sensei aren't you?"

"Yes that's me," confirmed the priest with a nod. "I may be an old man but I am more than able to fight if I have to."

"Yeah I believe you, you walk like a really good fighter, and besides I've learned a while ago not to judge things from appearances. I know some people older than you who are really good and it's real hard to win against them. "_Not that they ever beat me, nope, never. Anytime that happens its cause they're lucky or cheat, not because their better than me, Ranma Sa…whatever, is still the best!_

Katshuhito smirked inwardly, he very much doubted that they were older than him.

Before they could continue their conversation an announcement was heard. "Could numbers 64 and 19 please make their way to arena 1 for their next fight. I repeat numbers 64 and 17. Thank you."

Ranma bolted up in his seat. "Ahh, that's me! Sorry, I better be going, it was nice to meet you, bye." And with that he rushed off towards the fighting area.

"Well he was sure in a hurry wasn't he?" commented Washu.

"Possibly, he might want to size up his opponent before the match," suggested Katshuhito.

"Or he could just be trying to avoid us because we're boring him to death"

"I doubt it Washu-chan, he seems to be the type who live for martial arts."

"If you say so Yosho-dono."

She glanced at her future son in law (cough guinea-pig cough) and saw that he seemed to be thinking seriously about something. "Are you alright Tenchi?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"It's just that you seem very thoughtful right now, anything we should know about?"

"Not really, it's just that when Ranma talked about that Kuno guy he said used be called 'foul sorcerer Saotome,', but I thought his name was Nanashi. It just seems a bit odd that's all."

Washu shrugged. "Not really, he could have married afterwards and taken his wife's name, or he could just be fighting under an alias.?"

"That sounds right," added Katshuhito. "After all, Nanashi means 'no name,' he may just want to do this without people knowing his real name."

"Yeah maybe, I'll ask him next time I see him," sighed Tenchi. "Well I might as well see when I'm fighting, at least I can prepare for it then. Wait for a minute will you?"

Once Tenchi had left, it was just the two older aliens left sitting there.

"So Yosho, want to tell me what set you off earlier?"

To his credit Katshuhito didn't react to her probing comment. "I'm sorry Washu-chan but I don't understand."

The diminutive scientist just gave him a look that screamed 'you're not fooling anyone.'. "When we approached Tenchi you reacted to seeing that Ranma kid. You didn't show it much, but it was there for a moment. Is there something you know about him that you want to tell me." It wasn't a question.

Sigh. "There's no fooling you is there Washu-chan?"

"No there isn't, and stop buttering me up and answer the god-dammed question."

The priest looked at the arena where the pigtailed fighter was conversing with his opponent for a moment before answering. "To tell you the truth Washu, I don't really know. It's because there is something in his aura that is very familiar to me, I know I've seen it before somewhere, I just can't remember what it is."

"Do you think its something we should worry about?," asked Washu.," "I mean we don't to risk another kidnapping or something."

Katshuhito just shook his head. "No its nothing like that, the last time I saw this was about 400 years ago at the most. I highly doubt that it's any non-human contact or anything, it's just something that I can't quite figure out at the moment. I'll work out the significance of that young man's aura eventually."

"You know, I could tell you exactly what that aura was if I had access to my computer, but **someone** decided that I'm not allowed to since it might cause too much attention," groused Washu.

"Washu-chan, you know full well that the people of Earth are not ready for knowledge of our existence yet. If they found out that they're a Jurian colony then they will likely attempt to have a war with us. Not that they would actually beat us, but there is every likelihood that some less… responsible members of the population would use the excuse to attack neighboring countries, claiming that they're hiding aliens. Nuclear weapons or worse may get involved," answered Katshuhito calmly to a still grumbling scientist. "When they are ready then it will not matter, but for now you're your abilities will have to stay hidden."

"I still don't see why," complained Washu., "I mean it's not that unusual. I could just say that it's a prototype for Microsoft or something."

Katshuhito smiled slightly before leaning in close to Washu. "Well there is another reason. I had to convince the girls that discretion was a good idea, and for that I needed you to be an example for them. You do want to be a good example for your daughter don't you?"

"Ah shut up," grumbled Washu as she crossed her arms and sulked. Yosho was such a spoil spoilsport; she'd get back at him when they were home later. Maybe she could try out her new invention that had been inspired from some American comic, what were they called… oh yes, Peebos.

* * *

Authors note

These are the first fight scenes I've written; I hope they're ok.

Ok, I know that I said that this would be done in a week so I apologise for keeping you waiting. The reason this is late is because I had a small problem with my computer which caused me to lose all my chapters of 'Lost and found', meaning that I had to rewrite this chapter.

Just a few things to say today, first I can imagine that some people are upset that I didn't have Ranma and Washu talking more to each other, but I have my reasons. I want this occur during the length of the tournament, I didn't want it to happen too quickly since that would be less enjoyable.

About Ranma's supposed problem with weapons. In my opinion he doesn't have one, only with people who depend on them. I can name three times in the first few episodes when Ranma has used a weapon and not complained at all.

First was when P-chan ended up in that rich families house Akane was desperate to save him. Ranma uses a stool against the three servants as a weapon, first as a shield and then again when he used it to trip the man with the bo staff over.

Next was the gymnastics competition. Surly everyone knows about this so I won't say too much. But you can tell that Ranma doesn't like resorting to weapons when she kicked Ryoga during training (though that may just be her wanting him to shut up.)

Finally there was the fight with Cologne at the snowman race (anime version). Ranma uses the sword she has after realising that she has a lack of mobility due to her snowshoes.

So for those people who say that Ranma hates weapons then I'm sorry but you're wrong. He may dislike them and prefer the unarmed styles of martial arts, but he will use them when he has to.

About the whole 'new powers' thing. I have to agree with a lot of you who sent in reviews who said that by including those Sayajin genes that he was already an improved version and there was no need add anything else. If I add too much to him then there is a danger of this becoming a 'God Ranma' fic, which I am trying to avoid at all costs. I only asked people what their ideas were to see if there was some alternative to Ryoko's powers, like say instead of electricity Ranma has ice (by the way that isn't going to be a new power, just an example).

There were a couple of ideas that I'm going to consider, I want to either have Ranma 'learn' the Nekoken, or at least master the fear, I just cant make my mind up about either option. It's pretty important when you consider that he's going to have a companion who goes miah to do something about it, so its going to be one or the other.

The idea of him changing the energy sword into other weapons is a good one as well. I think I read somewhere that Ryoko can change her sword's length so that it can be a short sword, a long sword, or even a staff. I reckon I can make Ranma's adaptively come out there somewhere. While the other ideas are good and would be useful in other stories, they might not be a good idea in this story. I might still use them though.

As for Ryoko's powers, there are still some that confuse me, Assimilation being one of them. I know that she assimilated permanently with Zero, but can she do it temporarily as well? She assimilates that stone pillar while fighting Kagato and becomes HUGE, but I don't know if she can simply change sizes and is still assimilated with the pillar, if she 'de-assimilated' her self with it, or if she didn't assimilate with it but just changed its form and controlled it without joining with it (like a remote control car). If someone could clear this up for me then I would really appreciate it.

I'm going to say that she can teleport into orbit, but not as far as the moon. If anyone has any major problems with that then tell me.

Thanks for all the reviews, I can't believe that I have over three hundred all ready, I never expected this response.

One more thing…RANGER5 WILL YOU HURRY UP AND UPDATE 'FOREVER THE TOMBOY'! I really like the story and I want to see it updated. I know that you aren't dead since you've reviewed my story several times, so I just have to assume that you're lazy.

Ah, its great to get everything of my chest like that.

And finally I would thank JohnnyG for pre-reading this chapter. After loads of reviews saying that I needed a pre-reader I finally relented and asked Johnny G to do it, and I have to say that it helped a lot, there shouldn't be as many mistakes here.

I think that's everything, I'll try to write the next chapter quickly but I'm not promising anything, it just makes people disappointed when I go over an appointed time.


	11. Chapter ten

It was lunchtime at Furinkan high school. The students were out of their classrooms and were sitting within the grounds eating their lunches, chatting, beating up Kuno, and other typically normal things like that. Ryoga and Akane were sitting under a cherry tree with Akane's two friends, Yuka and Sayuri, eating their lunches and talking amongst themselves. Well three of them talked normally; the youngest Tendo was either muttering to herself or shouting depending on what the subject at the time was.

Not far away from them sat the forlorn figure of Ukyo Kuonji, the master okonomaiyaki chef, who was once engaged to Ranma, but now is a prospective wife for Ryoga.

It didn't take a genius to work out that something was wrong, since normally the chef had a happy expression that, for the most part, was genuine. Ever since she had turned up in Nerima her endless quest to regain her honour had an ending in sight, all she had to do was get together with a certain pig-tailed martial artist and she would finally be able to breath easily. No more would she have to BE a boy, she could finally admit that she was a girl and hold her head up with pride when she went back to her father in triumph.

It helped that she had fallen in love with the man she was supposed to marry, which was just as well really. That he was her best friend was a big help, and the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous was just icing on the cake. There may have been problems with his other fiancées and people kidnapping them, but at least she was with the person who made her feel wanted, the only person really.

She sighed Ryoga chuckled nervously to something Akane said, the air blowing gently through the chef's hair she watched the scene. That wasn't the case anymore though, because the person she had hunted for the longest time had gone, not seen since a certain night a week ago when the truth about her fiancé's and Ryoga's parentage came out. She hadn't seen him since, and the same went for everyone else. The Amazons had gone the day after so it was possible he had gone off with them, but personally she didn't believe it. For Ranma to have willingly gone to China with Shampoo, to leave Nerima without even a goodbye to his best friend, was unlikely.

However that didn't take into account the possibility that he was taken unwillingly…

"You know from the way you're looking at Ryoga, I'd almost say that you want him for yourself."

Startled out of her thoughts Ukyo glanced at the unwelcome interruption in denial.

"Oh come on Nabiki, there is no way that I would want to get together with Ryoga, he's almost as big an idiot as Kuno."

"Now I think that's rather unfair Ukyo, comparing him to Kuno is way below the belt," smirked Nabiki, as she took a seat next to the chef.

"Heh, yeah you've probably got a point there." Her expression then turned cautious as she tried to read the older girl's body language for clues of what was ahead.

A moment later she gave up, there were some people who couldn't be read no matter how good you were. "Alright Nabiki what do you want now? I'm not in the mood for this, so it had better be important."

Nabiki seemed genuinely surprised. "Why Ukyo, what makes you think that I'm not simply having lunch with a fellow school mate?"

"Experience," replied Ukyo drolly.

Nabiki just rolled her eyes. "Well I guess I deserve that, I won't exactly win many prizes for most sociable person will I," she chuckled, before turning a serious gaze towards Ukyo. "To be honest I was just wondering what you were thinking about, whatever it is sure seems to be important."

Ukyo looked at Nabiki almost in disbelief. "Oh gee what could I be thinking about? Could it be the fact that my childhood friend has suddenly gone missing? Or the fact that he isn't really a Saotome so I can't marry him? Or could it possibly be that I have to marry the lost boy over there because he IS Genma's kid?"

"Whoa there Ukyo, I was only curious. I was just asking what you planned to do now, I mean you can't marry Ranma now can you?"

"Who says I can't?"

"Well, apart from the fact that your honour relies on you marrying Ryoga over there, absolutely nothing. Plus the fact that you yourself just said so," snorted Nabiki.

"That doesn't matter," said Ukyo. "I know Ranchan loves me, the only reason he hasn't told me yet is because of his honour holding him back. As soon as I can get Ryoga and another girl together then I'm free for Ranchan when he comes back."

"You really think he's coming back?" asked Nabiki.

"Of course he is, he's probably gone on some training trip or something to get over the news. As soon as he's sorted things out then he'll come back and stay at my restaurant. By the time he's back then Ryoga and Akane will be together and we can finally be together," said Ukyo with a sigh.

"Oh that's your game is it, I was wondering what you've been doing for the last week," exclaimed Nabiki.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Of course it is! What with all those okonomiayaki you've been making the two of them with their names written in the sauce, the 'love letters' from each other and the flowers that Akane received from 'Ryoga,' it's pretty obvious that someone's been trying to get them together. That sort of stuff is too subtle for our parents, and to be honest you're the only other person around here who would give a damn about pairing them up."

"Yeah, well a girl's got to try hasn't she?" said Ukyo. "It's not working though. I mean look at Akane, this week all that's been happening is she's been getting angrier and angrier."

Nabiki couldn't help but break into laughter at Ukyo's observation. "Heh, that's not why Akane's angry. She's upset at the whole fiancée thing, but not that much. After all, she's been in a similar situation for the last year or so. The reason Akane's been doing an impression of a blast furnace on steroids lately is that it seems 'Uncle Genma' has finally lost his marbles."

"How so?" enquired Ukyo.

"Oh, you're not going to believe this, but he's taken Ranma's disappearance really badly. Now that he hasn't got his Ranma to beat him up in the morning, he's found someone else to spar with, though I doubt he'll be up to Ranma's standards."

"What's so bad about that? I mean, people tend to have more than one sparing partner for training."

"Heh, that's not the problem. The thing that has Akane so mad is with **whom** he is sparing," snickered Nabiki.

"I'm guessing its not her then if she's so mad about it."

Nabiki shook her head. "Nope not her, not that she's asked yet so she shouldn't be angry about it. It's just that every time she sees Genma sparing with his new 'partner' she goes into a rage and pummels him into the ground."

"Why would she do that?" asked Ukyo, obviously confused.

"Well wouldn't you be angry if someone kept trying to train your pet in martial arts by throwing him in the pond?"

"HUH?"

"It's true, Genma is trying to train P-chan! Every time Akane finds him he's fishing her pet out of the koi pond, all the while talking about new training regimes. I mean how stupid can you get?" Nabiki couldn't hold it in anymore as she collapsed into laughter.

"…Heh, yeah. I mean that is pretty stupid, heh…" Ukyo giggled nervously.

Nabiki didn't seem to notice her companion's edginess in her mirth. "Hahaha, and that's not the best part either. He's doing this every morning and even though his wife and Akane beat him up he still doesn't stop doing it. This morning he was completely black and blue from the punishment he's been getting, which is quite an achievement since he was a panda at the time!"

"Heh, I'd love to see that," chuckled Ukyo. She didn't feel at all sorry for the overweight martial artist, after all the pain he had given to Ukyo and Ranma he deserved everything he received. If his training of Ryoga went wrong, then that was all fine and dandy, and it might even allow Akane to work out the truth about her pet pig.

Ukyo had found out when Ryoga had walked past her restaurant one morning. At the time Ukyo had been trying to find a way to get Ranma and Akane separated so that Ranma would be hers by default. She severely doubted he would go back with the Amazons. Sure he was a bit dense, but he wasn't stupid.

Her thoughts had been rather rudely interrupted when she saw one of her gutters bursting and sending its watery contents over Ranma's main rival. It wasn't that Ryoga got splashed that almost sent her into shock, but the fact that he suddenly shrank and disappeared into his clothes.

Of course, she soon discovered that he was none other than P-chan, cute little pet to one of Ranma's fiancées. After talking to the lost boy, following the use of hot water of course, she found out about how he had been cursed, about Ranma's promise to keep his curse a secret, and about how Ryoga became P-chan so that he could be with Akane.

Ukyo had been forced to edit a large amount of what Ryoga was saying to actually make sense, things like 'Ranma was late to our duel' became 'I got lost and followed him because of my shame and embarrassment'. In the end, she had told him she would keep his secret just to get rid of him. He had been getting really annoying with all the begging he was doing on her floor. Well, that and she was worried that he would use her restaurant as the epicentre of a Shi Shi Hokoudan.

It wasn't until a little later that Ukyo realised what a mistake she had made. She had been bringing Ranma some okonomayaki, when she saw Akane holding 'P-chan' in her arms, with said pet wriggling enthusiastically into Akane's bosom.

Up to that point Ukyo hadn't really taken notice of how Akane's pet behaved, but once she saw the truth she was witness to perverted activity that would have Happosai jealous. _Actually he had tried that once hadn't he?_ The way he stayed pressed to her cleavage, and the way Akane took him to her room for the night, truly disgusted Ukyo. The problem was that she had promised she wouldn't reveal Ryoga's secret, and she needed Ryoga to be around so that he could get Akane out of the way.

Now the game had changed. Instead of getting Akane with someone, she had to pair Ryoga up with someone. Her efforts to get Ryoga and Akane together weren't working, and to be honest it wasn't going to be likely when Akane found out about P-chan. If it was essential for Akane to get together with Ryoga then she may have still kept his secret. But now it didn't matter if Akane knew about P-chan, since as long as Ryoga got paired up with someone, then Ukyo was able to be with Ranma. Akari would be her best bet since she was totally in love with the lost boy without being a complete nut. She even knew about his curse and didn't mind. Sure she bred sumo wrestling pigs, but for Nerima standards that was pretty dull.

So while Ukyo no longer had any personal motive to keep Ryoga's secret, she had still promised him she would tell no one about his identity. She held honour very highly, and refused to break a promise just for personnel gain, but at the same time she refused to stain her honour by allowing Ryoga to continue his deception. Mind you, she hadn't said anything about giving a few hints here and there to people about who P-chan really was, and with people as observant as Nabiki around, it wouldn't take much prodding to get the truth out there.

Now how was she going to do this?

* * *

Meanwhile, Nabiki was studying Ukyo carefully while eating her bento. Either she found something about Genma's new training regime very interesting and was thinking about it carefully, or she was completely non-plussed by it and was daydreaming about Ranma again.

Oh well, whatever it was it was fine by her, it allowed her to study the goings on in Furinkan high. While there was a fair bit of money coming in from Ranma's disappearance and Ryoga's engagement to Akane, Nabiki was worried about the future. Without Ranma around to provide the usual chaos, there would be less money coming in from the betting pools and photos. She was going to have to find something to keep money coming in, otherwise they risked losing the dojo.

"Hey Nabiki, can I ask you something?"

Coming out of her thoughts, Nabiki turned to young chef inquisitively. "Of course, although I might choose not to answer you. Ask and then I'll tell you how much it'll cost you to get the answer."

"Alright, I was just wondering how you guys first found out about Shampoo's curse, that's all."

Nabiki pondered for a second before holding out her hand. "One thousand yen should be fine for a simple story, though I am curious about why you want to know."

"I'm just curious myself, that's all," replied Ukyo, as she handed over the required money. She already knew about this story from Ranma, but Nabiki didn't need to know that.

Nabiki shrugged. "Okay then, it started just after Ranma and Akane defeated the skating pair…". She went on to explain how they had received a parcel through the mail from Shampoo, only to discover it was a cat. Then they discovered Ranma's intense fear of cats and the resultant Neko-ken, the part where Shampoo jumped into the bath with him, and finally when Cologne showed up and Shampoo's curse was explained.

At the end of it Ukyo tried to look as if she had never heard the story before, which was partly right. Ranma had never told her about the part where Shampoo ended up naked in the bath with him, which was obvious due to the slight twitch in her left eye. Despite this… newfound knowledge, she knew she had to get back on track.

"Wow, so Shampoo pretended to be your pet for all that time and no one guessed that she was really human?"

"Well not really, I mean even if you have encountered Jusenkyo curses before, you wouldn't expect a cat to turn out to be a rather deadly Amazon. Although she sure was angry at Akane so I suppose that should have clued us in," said Nabiki with a smirk.

Ukyo paused as if to contemplate something. "Hmm, you know that really gets you thinking doesn't it?"

"How so?" enquired Nabiki with a raised eyebrow.

"Well think about it, if Shampoo had decided not to show herself, then you guys might still think of her as a normal housecat."

"I doubt it Ukyo," scoffed Nabiki. "What with the way Ranma's a water magnet, water would have found Shampoo at some point"

"Maybe, but how uncommon is hot water compared to cold? As long as she avoided the furo or any cups of tea then she would have been fine."

"True, but she would have been hit by hot water eventually, no ones lucky enough to completely avoid hot water."

"You really think so? Do you remember how long it took for the school to realise that Ranma and the 'pig tailed girl' were the same person? It took so long because to accept the curse you actually have to 'see' the change. I didn't believe it until Ranma showed me. As long as Shampoo avoided hot water in the company of others she would be ok, she would have only been found out if someone saw her change."

Ukyo then sat back in reflection. "I wonder how many 'pets' are out there that are actually human?"

Nabiki looked at Ukyo sceptically. "You really think that there are people out there pretending to be pets?"

"Why not?" asked Ukyo. "I mean there could be loads of reasons to pretend to be an animal. You could sneak into government agencies to avoid any enemies. If there was a spring of drowned P-chan then all Happosai would have to do was get himself splashed with it and he could be Akane's cute little pet."

"Okay, now you're getting paranoid Ukyo. Next you'll be telling me that there's a national conspiracy where dentists use mind control fillings to get us to eat more sugar to rot out teeth?"

"Heh, I suppose your right, I'm being pretty stupid aren't I?" She was interrupted by the school bell, signalling the end of lunch break. "Well, time to get back to class I suppose, see you later Nabiki."

While the rest of the students flocked back towards class, Nabiki remained seated while watching Ukyo disappear into school. She may not have shown it, but she was now very curious about the chat she had just had with the young chef.

"You're a good actor Ukyo, but not good enough. You know something, and I want to know what it is."

After making that promise to herself, she followed her fellow classmates to what was destined to be several hours of mind numbing boredom.

* * *

"The fight is between Ranma Nanashi and Issei Futamata. Ready… FIGHT!"

Ranma had thought that he had seen and heard of all the insane martial arts styles that were in existence while in Nerima. After all, he had come across Martial Arts Tea ceremony and Martial Arts Take Out, surely there wasn't anything worse than those styles out there…

"There is no way you'll get the better of me! Martial Arts Tiddlywinks starting attack, PLASTIC STORM!"

…Okay maybe there was something. Ranma watched with incredulity as his opponent reached into his shirt, produced a large bag filled with what turned out to be plastic counters, and threw them all over the arena; soon covering the entire area in multi-coloured plastic.

Ranma could only stare in disbelief; there was such a thing as Martial arts TIDDLYWINKS? He had no idea what his opponent was trying to do with all those counters; all he could see was that he had created a large mess that would need to be cleaned up.

No matter, Ranma was here to win a tournament, not wonder about strange martial arts styles. He'd beat this guy and then ask him about it later, the kid didn't look too tough so it should be a quick knockout. Thinking of the best way to put the guy out of his misery Ranma started walking towards him…

THUMP

…only to fall over as soon as he stepped onto the mass of plastic on the floor.

His opponent laughed at him as if Ranma was the funniest joke in the world. He was younger than Ranma by a year or two and was also shorter than him; he was probably the only person who wasn't over a hundred who was shorter than his girl form. He also had very little in the way of muscle mass, but due to his height, or lack of it, it wasn't that noticeable. His dirty, uncombed hair hung just over his eyes, which were full of humour and a slight amount of madness. When he stopped laughing he addressed Ranma and gave him an explanation.

"With my attack I have turned the ring into the perfect arena for me. By covering the floor with tiddlywinks I have an almost unlimited supply of ammo to attack you with, while you will be unable to move across the ring without falling on your ass! This match is mine, Hahahahaha!"

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," mumbled Ranma, as he managed to stand up again. "There's no way I'm gonna be beaten by some stupid plastic game!"

"You think so, do you?" smirked the midget… I mean vertically challenged person. "Well let's see how you do against my TIDDLYWINK BARRAGE!"

_Boy, he comes up with some really stupid names for his attacks, don't he?_ thought Ranma. This way before finding himself under siege from an endless supply of plastic counters hitting him in the face and body as Futamata bent down to the floor and started 'flicking' counter after counter at Ranma with incredible accuracy.

Unfortunately for Futamata all the attack did to Ranma was slightly annoy him. A man who was used to sparring with someone as strong as Ryoga was NOT going to be put off by a few bits of plastic, even if there were a lot of them. This was nothing compared to the aftermath of a Bakusai Tenketsu.

Futamata laughed even more at Ranma's plight as he continued firing his ammunition at the annoyed pigtailed youth. "You don't stand a chance of beating me, my style is undefeated! Just give up now and give me the victory and you won't get too hurt."

Ranma growled in frustration as he almost slipped on another set of counters. If Futamata wanted to be like that, it was fine by him. He didn't have to run to his opponent to win this fight, his style specialised in midair combat after all.

"There's no way that I'm gonna lose to a shrimp like you!" yelled Ranma as he leapt at his opponent, ready to deliver any number of devastating moves.

However, it seemed as though his opponent had a counter to aerial attacks as well. Instead of freezing on the spot and praying to the gods as he should have been doing right now, in Ranma's opinion anyway he spread his arms wide and gave an even more maniacal laugh.

"You think a simple leap is going to beat me? WRONG! Prepare to face my ultimate final attack, TIDDLYWINK TSUNAMI!" Futamata gloated as both arms swept across the floor several times in quick succession.

The results of the attack were pretty obvious, as a huge wall of multicoloured plastic rose from arena floor and hurtled towards the airborne martial artist, and with him unable to avoid it, Ranma was swept along for the ride. Ranma crashed down onto the ring with tremendous force under a large amount of plastic counters, showing that the Tiddlywinks Tsunami was far more effective than was expected. After the counters stopped raining down onto the ring, all that could be seen was a large multicoated mound where Ranma was buried.

"And the victory once again goes to Issei Futamata, master of Martial arts Tiddlywinks!" Futamata crowed as he glanced at where his opponent presumably was, since he couldn't see him at the moment. The technique worked by hitting his opponent with a vast number of tiddlywinks that would be enough to beat any foe. Just as a colony of ants would be able to bring down any prey, which a single ant couldn't hope to beat, the technique used overwhelming numbers to bring down his opponent. There was no way his opponent was going to get up after that… _WHAT THE HELL!_

He gaped in surprise as the mound where Ranma was buried shook slightly once, and then again a bit more forcibly. Futamata then had to cover his face as the pile of plastic exploded outwards, sending them into the crowd with enough force to knock some of the smaller people off balance. Where the heap existed before was now where Ranma stood, completely unharmed, although it was obvious that he was slightly peeved. The effect had been similar to when Ryoga had just learned the Bakusai Tenketsu, and he had been buried under a ton of rock, only far less impressive.

Futamata was slightly put off by the fact that his ultimate attack wasn't all that effective against his foe. Not only was it more than enough to beat every other opponent he had ever fought before now, it also meant that he had used all of his ammo on that last attack, leaving him effectively defenceless. He gulped as he spotted the look that was aimed at him by Ranma, and tried to think a way out of his current situation.

Ranma couldn't believe it, he was being shown up by some punk who threw plastic counters around. There was no way he was going to let this humiliation go without some kind of payback.

"Alright, let me show what REAL martial arts are all about," growled Ranma as he stalked towards his prey… I mean opponent.

One straight minute of pummelling later…

"The winner is Ranma Nanashi!"

Ranma sighed as he calmed down from his slight irritation and glanced at his fallen opponent. That had to have been the weirdest martial arts style he had ever come across, and coming from someone who had fought a guy who used a pair of giant chopsticks that meant something. While the guy he fought had a half decent ranged attack, once you got close to him then it was incredibly easy to pick him off. He simply had no combat skills other than firing pieces of plastic from distance, not exactly something you would use against a group of muggers in a blind ally. He had to wonder why he always ended up fighting people who used really stupid styles.

Oh well, that was his second victory of the day, only one to go before he could compete in the finals. If this was what the rest of the competion was like, he would coast through this tournament. Well, at least there was that Tenchi guy, who from what Ranma had seen he was at least at Kuno's standard, maybe higher. It's kind of hard to judge how good someone is when all you've seen of them is one fight with some lunatic with no skill. For all he knew Tenchi might just be some average black belt who got lucky. He doubted it, but it could be true.

Anyway, there were more important things to think of right now, like getting to the finals of the tournament. And food, definitely food. He was hungry damn it; he hadn't been able to get a decent breakfast because he hadn't had any supplies as he had no time that morning to go and get some. He'd have to see if there was anything good at the fair. Now, where was he going to get something good to eat before his next fight?

"Could numbers 64 and 51 please go to arena two for their next fight? I repeat numbers 64 and 51, thank you."

WHAT, ALREADY! And he hadn't even gotten something to eat yet, damn it!

* * *

"Yay, I did it again!"

Mihoshi was having great fun. While the weapons being used at the firing range were incredibly outdated compared to what she was used to, using air pressure of all things to fire corks, a rubbish piece of ammunition in her opinion, the fact that she was being given these really cute fluffy toys for doing some simple target practice was really fun. All she had to do was hit a target from two metres away and she got a toy. It was really easy, and those toys were SO CUTE!

"Well done Mihoshi, you won again," said Kiyone, not showing much enthusiasm while holding the horde of prizes Mihoshi had already won. Well, it's hard to show enthusiasm when you can't see the person's face, or body for that matter. Kiyone would have stored them in subspace, expect that her subspace pocket was already full with the rest of Mihoshi's toys. Mihoshi had done quite well for herself.

"Here you go miss," said the stall owner sombrely, as he handed Mihoshi yet another stuffed bunny. That made it six now in her collection.

"Come Mihoshi lets get going, we want to see Tenchi fight after all," said Kiyone.

"Oh, please can I have another go Kiyone?" whimpered Mihoshi.

"NOOO, PLEASE STOP I BEG YOU!" cried the stall owner in despair. "You'll ruin me if you keep doing this. You've taken over half of my stock already and that was supposed to last the entire week!"

"WAAAA! Nobody wants me to play the fun games, WAAAAAAA!"

"That's because the last three stalls we went to had to close up because you took all their stock. You're making them bankrupt. Now come on, if we're quick then we can see Tenchi in the tryouts."

Sniff. "Ok Kiyone, lets go."

"Good, now you might have to point the way since I can't see too well under all of this. Mihoshi, where are you going? No Mihoshi get back here, we aren't going to go to any more stalls. Oh not again Mihoshi! MIHOSHI!"

* * *

_Well that was easy,_ thought Ranma, as he made his way outside. He had won his third fight and as such was essentially through to the next round, not that there was any doubt as to that outcome. His last opponent was certainly an interesting fight, but he had to wonder who on Earth would want to invent a style as stupid as Martial Arts Stamp Collecting? What was even more worrying was that to have gotten as far as a third fight the guy had to have beaten at least one person. The guy was throwing around stamps for crying out loud!

Anyway, back to important things, mainly feeding his bottomless pit that was called a stomach. Unless someone else threw a screw in the works, he was going to get something to eat, and he didn't give a damn about what it was. Quite frankly, he would eat Akane's cooking if he was given the chance…

Okay, maybe he wasn't that desperate.

Still, he had certainly missed home-cooked food since he left the Tendos. After spending a year in one place he had almost forgotten what it was like to live on the basics, eating only what you could barely afford.

He hadn't realised how much he missed Kasumi's cooking. When he had first arrived at the dojo the food that was regularly produced by Kasumi was like manna from heaven. She quite simply was the best cook he had ever come across, and that included the likes of Cologne, Ukyo and even his mother!

Her company was something he missed as well, he had gotten so used to the chats he had with her when he helped out around the house that it was a shock when he suddenly found them gone. If he had almost forgotten what it was like eating off the land, then he had completely forgotten how lonely it could be. In fact, it was lonelier than it usually was, at least in the past he had his father with him, or rather Genma.

Over the last week, it had slowly filtered into his head exactly what had happened when those DNA results had been come out into the open. As soon as it was shown that he wasn't really Genma's kid he was effectively abandoned. After all he had been through with Saffron to save Akane's life and all the pestering the two fathers had put upon the two of them to get married, they had simply put him aside as if he was a defective product and focussed their attention on Ryoga.

Who would have thought it? Ryoga, the man who was always cursing the existence of Ranma Saotome was in-fact that same person. If Ranma was in a better mood he would have laughed at it. At least he was going to get his wish and become engaged to Akane, although if she would ever love him when she found out about P-chan was anyone's guess.

Of course most people would guess that she wouldn't, but it was still anyone's guess.

So Ryoga was shown to be Genma's real son, and had suddenly found himself the centre of attention. It still hurt the way he had managed to remove Ranma from the dojo by simply existing.

The way in which Nodoka had treated Ranma, as nothing more as a way to keep honour, hurt more than he liked to admit. When she had found out he wasn't her son, or rather had it confirmed, she hadn't been upset at Genma or anything, but had actually had a go at Ranma for daring to find it out! The way the person he had thought of as his mother was treating him was like a stab in the heart. He had wanted a real mother for so long, and it seemed he wasn't going to get one.

However, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't really blame Nodoka's reaction when she found out about Ryoga. She had kept the secret for so long, and had never expected to see her son again. So when she suddenly found out that not only was he alive, but in the same room, then of course she was going to focus on him.

He couldn't really blame Akane or Nabiki either; they were too busy protesting about the switched engagement. He had to feel sorry for Akane, first she had Kuno and the hentai horde, then he showed up with his curse, and now she had to marry Ryoga. It wasn't the best way to start a relationship by any means; he hoped she could sort herself out. She may have annoyed him with that temper of hers, but he still liked her.

He would have loved to say he was disappointed in the two father's behaviour, but to be honest he really wasn't surprised. Genma was unconscious when Ranma had left, and Soun would do anything to honour that pledge to join the families. He may be weak willed, but he did try to look after his family, even if he did it in a slightly self-obsessed way.

It would be nice to have been seen as part of the family, but he couldn't expect miracles. He realised that he wasn't welcome anymore and had decided that it would be best if left quietly, that way he wouldn't have to worry about any trouble. He hadn't expected anyone to notice him leaving, but surprisingly someone did.

The last member of the Tendos had caught him by surprise that night. Not only had Kasumi almost begged him to stay despite what her father wanted, but she had offered to go with him when he refused. She was perfectly willing to camp out with him in the wild and leave her family, just so that she could stay with him.

She had called him her greatest friend.

To say that Ranma was surprised was an understatement; he didn't think that anyone would go to such lengths to be with him. Well that wasn't entirely true, Shampoo had followed him from China to kill him, so he had no doubts that she would be looking for him now. Plus, Ukyo might also since she had been looking for him since she had been abandoned as a six year old.

That was different though. Shampoo was following him so that she could take him back to her village, and Ukyo would want to set up a shop eventually. Both of them would want Ranma to go with them so that they could get married. Kasumi hadn't though; she had wanted to go with him simply to be with him. He hadn't thought that Kasumi would ever do something like that, to leave her home and family to go with him. It just wasn't supposed to happen, and Ranma still didn't understand it.

That brought up another point, he had almost forgotten the promise he had made to her that night. He would have to send her a letter or something telling her he was all right, although she should know that he would survive perfectly well on the road. A promise was a promise though, and to be honest, it was nice having someone out there who he could call a friend.

It was then that a most delicious scent made its way tantalisingly over to Ranma, making his mouth salivate in desire.

_Hmmm, foooooooooooood…._

_

* * *

_

Washu watched Tenchi as he faced his third, and probably last, qualifying fight. To be honest, it would be pretty embarrassing to the Jurian royalty for the crown prince (since Yosho was chickening out of the whole thing) to lose to someone dressed in a chicken suit. The greatest scientist in the universe had to wonder at the sanity of some people in this tournament, how the hell could you classify a rubber chicken as a weapon?

She had no worries about the outcome of the fight, so she allowed her thoughts to drift elsewhere. She was feeling much better since she had her outburst a little over a week ago, although she was getting annoyed at all the 'understanding' looks she was receiving from her other housemates. She wasn't the first person to lose a child when they were young, and she definitely wouldn't be the last, so the way everyone was treating her was getting tedious. Besides, it had happened five thousand years ago, the people on Earth considered that ancient history.

Ayeka had said that because infant beta's pod, or Ryoga's pod according to Sasami, had been fired at the same time as hers, then it was entirely possible that he was still alive. However, as much as Washu wanted that to be true, the chances of him turning up alive were astronomical.

First of all, space was big, real big. It was entirely possible for an object to float around in it for hundreds of thousands of years without ever coming into contact with anything.

When she had first been awakened she had attempted to scan for her lost son, unfortunately there was no sign of him anywhere on this side of the universe. That meant the signal had either broken, or the pod had crashed onto a planetary body. If that was the case, she pretty much put the chances of his continued survival in the hundredths of a percent margin.

The first reason was that out of the many celestial bodies in existence in the universe, not many of them were habitable. For example, if he had landed on anywhere in the solar system except Earth then he would have died pretty quickly. His Masu genes were locked away, so the ability to survive in the vacuum of space wasn't there. He would have frozen on Pluto, been crushed on Saturn, died of radiation poison on Jupiter, and just plain cooked on Mercury. She really didn't want to think about what would have happened if he had crashed into an asteroid, or even worse been pulled into the Sun's gravitational pull. The way the gravitational fields worked, most meteorites would end up colliding with either the Sun or Jupiter, protecting the Earth from any catastrophic impacts. It would have also made the chance of her son landing on Earth miniscule.

In the miniscule chance that he had indeed landed on a planet like Earth, it was very unlikely that he was alive today. He could have ended up on a habitable planet and adopted into a family any time in the last five thousand years. With the majority of his genes being inherited from her, as well as the Masu DNA locked away until they were activated by the gems, then he would have lived for a couple of centuries if he avoided being killed early on. If he had landed on a planet where he could survive, then he would almost certainly be dead now.

It was a nice thought really; her son having lived a life as the greatest of his chosen field, finding a beautiful wife and giving her lots and lots of grandchildren. She would sometimes dream of a planet out there that had lots of mini Washus and Ryoga's, of her descendants populating an entire planet or two.

It was the best outcome she could expect from the whole Kagato incident, she had accepted that and moved on with life. That didn't mean that she wouldn't grieve for him, as in every hypothesis she devised about his existence came up with him being dead in some way or another. One reason she grieved was for her lost chance to be a proper mother, to raise a child through all their firsts as a mother should.

The other reason was a reminder to herself that she still had a daughter that was alive and had thankfully escaped from Kagato's control. It had been a pure fluke that they had ended up on the same planet as each other, but she was going to take full advantage of that fact. She was going to become part of Ryoko's life and do whatever it took to be a mother, and hopefully a grandmother.

She had noticed that while Ryoko and Ayeka were still violent towards each other all the time, it didn't have the same hostility it once had. Any arguing that happened was almost half-hearted, and she had even spotted smiles on their faces when they fought. Honest to God smiles! Could it be that they were actually able to get on with each other and become co-wives to Tenchi without killing each other?

She could only hope.

Speaking of the guy, he was making short work of the chicken suited man. In her time with Tenchi she had seen him fight many times for his friends, but she had never seen him fight someone so… pathetic before. She had thought that coming to this tournament would provide her with an opportunity to see the best fighters in the area, and possibly some good specimens for future study. However, she was incredibly disappointed with what she had seen so far, not one of the people were even worth considering.

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. There was that one guy Tenchi had befriended earlier, the one that Yosho was interested in. What was his name… Ramen or something? Anyway, Yosho had noticed an odd aura around him earlier and that in itself was enough to catch her interest.

There was also the fact that she had seen the size of the guy who he had thrown out of the ring. Anyone who could do that was well worth investigating.

Now, how was she going to scan him without Yosho catching her in the act? Hmmm, she always liked a challenge…

* * *

"I wonder how Lord Tenchi is faring."

"I'm not wondering. I reckon he's probably trashing the opposition as we speak."

"You are probably right Ryoko, but there could still be the possibility of him coming across someone who could beat him…"

"Stop worrying will ya? Tenchi'll thrash anyone who comes his way. There's no one here who could compare to Kagato, so he shouldn't have any problems."

"True enough Ryoko. Chip?"

"Don't mind if I do," said Ryoko, taking one as she did so.

"Sasami?"

"No thanks Ayeka, I've got my own."

Surprisingly, both Ayeka and Ryoko had been exceptionally well behaved today. No fights, no tantrums, nothing at all. In fact they had been quite polite towards each other after Tenchi had been removed from the equation. In fact, they treated each other as pretty good friends, rather than rivals.

A lot of that had to do with the company of Sasami, her calm, innocent influence being enough to keep the two from blowing up. The more time that passed, the easier it got for the two to relax, until it reached the point where the rivalry had been forgotten and was replaced by the three having a great time. They were currently having a lunch break, having decided that it would be nice to try the English fish and chip stall that was there. They weren't sure what to expect, as none of them had ever had fish and chips before, but they were pleasantly surprised to find that it was very tasty indeed.

Right now, Ayeka and Sasami were tucking into their chips, Ryoko was finishing off her drink, and Ryo-Ohki was nibbling on one of the carrots they had taken with them from the shrine. They were heading towards the tent in which they thought Tenchi was fighting in, hoping to be able to see him fight at least one first round match before the tournament really started. After all, they were there to show their support to the young Jurian, so why not start now? It was turning out to be a nice day, a day in which they were able to relax and not worry about anything apart from having fun.

"I can't wait to see Tenchi fight! Can I go and watch him fight now Ayeka?" Sasami was getting impatient with childish enthusiasm.

"Off course you can Sasami. Just be sure to be careful and don't get lost."

"I won't, Ryo-Ohki will look after me. Won't you Ryo-Ohki?" asked Sasami, with which the cabbit meowed in agreement. The pair ran off towards the big marquee.

That left Ayeka and Ryoko together, alone and with no calming influence should it be needed. The two rivals just stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't get the other mad at them, and therefore getting Tenchi mad at them. The last thing he needed was for some large-scale fight between them to cancel the tournament.

"So…"

"So…"

They both paused, trying to work out who should speak first.

Ryoko decided to bite the bullet. "So… it sure is a nice calm day today, isn't it…"

SLAM

To be honest, Ryoko was more than a little surprised to suddenly be sitting on the ground. Who wouldn't be? What was more surprising was that it had actually HURT! It felt as if she had been hit by a truck, only that would have hurt her less. When her head managed to stop spinning, she focused her current ire on a young man wearing a red and black Chinese outfit. He had his hair styled in a similar way to her beloved, and had looks that Ryoko knew would turn female heads, although Ryoko couldn't even begin to compare him to Tenchi.

There were several things that pissed Ryoko off at this situation. First, she was flat on her back and the guy who had run into her was still on his feet, although he did look a bit winded. Second, she had spilt her drink on her chest; which was making her already tight shirt slightly more so. And lastly, Ayeka was barely hiding her amusement at the situation Ryoko had gotten into.

That last part was the most infuriating thing as far as she was concerned.

"Oww, hey watch what your doing you idiot!" yelled Ryoko as she rubbed her sore posterior.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see ya there. You ain't hurt are ya?" asked the youth as he offered her a hand to get up.

"Nah I'm not hurt, it takes more than a little impact to hurt the great Ryoko."

"…well at least her ego isn't damaged…" muttered Ayeka.

Luckily Ryoko didn't hear her, or at least pretended not to. "Anyway what was the rush for kid? It's not as if it was a matter of life and death, not around here anyway."

"Hey my name's not 'kid', its Ranma," fumed the young man. "And I was running because I was hungry, alright."

"Yeah, whatever 'kid.' I lost my drink thanks to you, not to mention the fact you ruined my shirt…" Ryoko paused as if realizing something. Unfortunately for Ranma, it was the sign of another girl coming to the wrong conclusion. "…hang on a minute; you did this on purpose, didn't you! You pervert!" accused Ryoko.

That remark confused the young man slightly. "Huh?"

"Don't think that you can fool me mister, I know how men like the wet t-shirt look. You took one look at me with a drink and decided that you could 'accidentally' spill it onto me to get a good look, didn't ya?"

"Ack! Nononononono, it was an accident. I wasn't being a pervert, ya gotta believe me!" panicked Ranma, waving his arms and shaking his head wildly.

Ryoko obviously wasn't going to give him the benefit of the doubt though, which was obvious by the way she was almost stalking towards him while rolling up her sleeves. "Listen buster! If you think I'm going to let you get away with this perversion in front of small children, then you're obviously mistaken."

Ranma was about to try and reason some more with the obviously upset woman when he thought back to what happened every time he had been in a situation like this before. He would try to talk his way out of it, which gave the offended female a chance to get within range and give him a pummelling.

Maybe he should try to change his tactics a bit.

"Look Ryoko, I've got be somewhere else right now so we're gonnahaftacontinuethislater. Bye."

Vroom

Ryoko was left staring at the dust cloud that had been the pervert called Ranma in disbelief. She had half expected him to run away like that, but she couldn't help but be impressed by the speed he ran at. If she wasn't so angry she would have let him get away in recognition of the impressive feat, but sadly for our pigtailed hero, Ryoko wasn't exactly the calmest person in existence. She prepared to give chase, but before she did she had the urge to say something dramatic. She didn't know where the urge came from, but she didn't think it would hurt to give in to it, which is why Ryoko gave a battle cry that Ranma would find VERY familiar.

"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"

To Ayeka's great credit she managed to hold out until Ryoko was out of sight before falling onto the ground and laughing her cute little ass off.

* * *

"And the winner of the fight is Tenchi Masaki!"

"Well done Tenchi," congratulated Katshuhito as Tenchi left the arena. It was nice to see that today was going as he had hoped it would. Tenchi was getting valuable fighting experience and the girls were able to have some nice quiet fun to forget the revelations from Washu last week. Well he hoped it would be quiet fun, he hadn't heard any explosions yet.

So why did he have the sudden urge to start humming the Benny Hill theme tune?

* * *

Ranma ducked to avoid a punch and rolled to the side before running full pelt away from the crazy chick.

His new tactic didn't seem to be working all that well, it didn't matter what he did, he just couldn't lose her. He'd run on top of tents, run through tents, hid in them and tried to lose her on some of the fairground rides. He'd even tried to lose her in the hall of mirrors, only for her to find him almost instantly. He'd tried to avoid running into anyone else, but he knew that he had accidentally knocked a few people over.

To be fair, the 'Saotome final attack' wasn't really a new tactic, since it had been passed to one generation at least. Ranma may not have been a Saotome anymore, but he decided Genma wouldn't be too upset if he continued using it.

But for some reason even the awesome 'final attack' was failing miserably. He would run away from her for a short time and it would seem as if he had lost her, but then she would somehow appear **ahead **of him and attempt to knock him senseless. It was definitely something that confused the pigtailed boy. He knew from when she was running after him that, while she was quick, she wasn't a faster runner than he was, and yet he would turn around and she would suddenly be ten metres ahead of him. It was only Ranma's exceptional reflexes that had saved him on many occasions.

He knew however that he couldn't continue going on like this, if he continued to use the 'final attack,' he would end up getting pummelled when she got a lucky shot in, she wasn't skilful enough to do anything else.

So he had two choices; he could fight her, but while he knew that girls weren't weak, he still had a problem hitting them, especially girls that were only trying to hurt him because of a misunderstanding. The second choice was to hide, but he had already tried that twice and each effort had ended in failure. There was always the umisenken, but that was the final resort. He was going to have to think of some alternative and think of it fast.

He was running through the refreshment area for the third time that day when it suddenly came to him. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it earlier, he'd done it enough against Shampoo when he was running away from her in China. If hiding outright didn't work then maybe a variation would…

Ryoko growled in frustration as she continued to stalk her prey. When she was under Kagato's control she had been forced to assassinate numerous people, but none of them were quite as slippery as this guy. Not only did he have incredible speed, but a high level of endurance, skill and pure blind luck. Several times she had almost caught him when he would twist at the last moment and leave her in his dust. While she was trying to keep the use of her powers to a minimum, she had once or twice risked teleporting to a position in front of her quarry, only for him to somehow avoid her.

It was really getting on her nerves.

Several times he had even managed to lose her, it was only her teleporting skill and her vast experience in similar chases that allowed her to find him quickly whenever he did so. Her luck seemed to have run out however, as she had completely lost him and didn't know where he could have gone.

Luckily the area was fairly populated, not to an extent where he could have hidden in the crowd, but enough there so that she could ask someone where the pervert had gone off to.

Glancing around she quickly spotted a young redheaded girl at a ramen stand looking at her nervously. Ryoko wasn't that surprised; the girl was quite small really and Ryoko was pretty pissed off, she would likely make anyone uncomfortable. Well, the young girl was the closest person to her right now, and was the only person who was looking her way. If she was lucky, the girl would have seen where he went.

Ryoko made more of an effort to look calm when she approached the girl, for some reason she seemed to be getting more nervous the closer Ryoko got to her. _She must think I'm going to attack her or something, _thought Ryoko.

"Hey kid. I'm looking for this real pervert and I was wondering if you've seen him?" asked Ryoko, while trying not to scare the girl.

It seemed to be working. While she was still nervous, the young girl had relaxed slightly. _Well she knows I'm not going to attack her now doesn't she?_

"Erm, I don't think I've seen him miss," she replied uneasily.

"You sure?" asked Ryoko. "He's about so high, black hair in a pigtail and wearing very similar clothes to the ones your wearing. If you have seen him it would help me out greatly."

Ryoko sighed as the girl just shook her head. Oh well, she may as well give up the chase, she could always catch up with him later. She really should be heading to meet up with the gang soon. No doubt Ayeka was twisting things to make it seem as if Ryoko was being stupid again.

The young red head watched cautiously as Ryoko walked through the crowd before breathing a sigh of relief. She had been hoping to stay as a guy for the whole day, but it had been the only way out of her situation. Oh well, at least the ramen was good.

* * *

Ranma arrived back at the marquee, in male form again, just in time for the draw for the next round. Most of the competitors had left, leaving only a small group that consisted of officials, fighters, and the announcer. Everyone else was finding seats for themselves in the main arena outside.

As Ranma entered he studied the group in more detail. The announcer was the same, as were the officials, it was the fighters however that Ranma was studying closely.

Including himself, there were sixteen that had reached this part of the tournament, ten guys and 6 women, and there was quite a variety in their appearances. There were a large group of people in martial art gis, most of them with black belts of one sort or another. To Ranma they looked like the normal people that would be found in any dojo, so he doubted that they would give him a challenge.

There were however a few faces that stood out from the crowd. Ranma instantly spotted Tenchi, as well as the 'Goliath,' who was wearing a large bandage on his head and currently glaring in Ranma's direction. There was also a foreign guy (who Ranma thought might be Russian or something) that was almost as big as Goliath and looked like a boxer. There was a blond haired girl who was wearing some casual slacks and carrying a bucket in her hand. He also noticed a figure in a rather heavy cloak, so heavy in fact that it was impossible to tell if 'it' was male or female. Ranma decided he might as well talk to Tenchi for a while; he was an all right guy after all.

"Hey Tenchi."

"Hey Ranma, I see you've made it to the semi-finals."

"Yeah, so have you. How were your last fights?"

"Not bad really, though my last fight involved someone wearing a chicken suit who kept on reading from his 'Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu' every time he got stuck. I can't believe how many loonies are out there" said Tenchi in disbelief.

"Yeah well, you get used to it after a while," remarked Ranma.

They were about to continue their chat, but after seeing that everyone was finally there, the blond announcer decided to start things off. "Hello, and congratulations on getting through to the last sixteen of the tournament, to get this far get this far is an achievement in itself."

"Now, the time for the tournament proper is fast approaching, so in a minute we are going to be picking numbers out of the hat one at a time to see who fights in what order. But first I feel I had better remind you of the rules. Everything is the same as in the qualifiers except that there is now no time limit, so you have to actually defeat your opponent, rather than survive better than they did."

"Also the structure of the tournament is now a simple knockout compition, you win and you go through to the next round. Rather than fighting in here we will be using the open arena outside, which is quite a bit larger than the ones in here and will give you more room to manoeuvre. Apart from that, everything else is the same, and the referee's decisions are still always right. Now, let's get on with the draw. Could Ivan Drago please take a number?"

Ranma watched as the big Russian boxer stepped up and took the number thirteen. The announcer then asked for the next person to take a number, which turned out to be the blond girl with the bucket, Sakura Ogata, who picked out number nine. Goliath picked number twelve and fairly soon nearly everyone had taken a number, with the only exceptions being Tenchi, Ranma and the strange cloaked figure. Next it was Tenchi's turn, who after looking nervously in Ranma's direction for encouragement, picked out the first slot on the board. That just left two people.

"The person with the cloak over there, could you please take a number?" asked the announcer.

The figure made its way gracefully towards the board, appearing to almost glide along the ground, and took a ball from the hat, before giving it to the announcer.

"Thank you, and you have drawn number five. Erm…could you please give me your name so we can announce you to the crowds?"

"Why certainly," came the answer in a decidedly feminine voice. She then lowered the hood so that people could see who was underneath.

At first Ranma was as curious as the others in the tent, but upon seeing the face he would rather not have known. He had just left Nerima and all his fiancées behind, although they were actually Ryoga's now, and he had expected a bit of peace from all the chaos, so why did she of all people have to turn up?

The cloaked figure turned out to be a beautiful young girl with chestnut brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes, and a large smile on her face. Fully removing her cloak, she revealed a dark blue Chinese top with black leggings and slippers, and on her belt was a familiar takeout box.

"My name is Kaori," she said. "Kaori Daikoku."

* * *

Authors note

Hey, I'm back! Took me long enough didn't it?

Yes you guessed it; I got into one of my lazy periods again. I think that I got a bad case of writers block as I would only be able to write a few hundred words at the most before I would either get bored or just lose my focus. It was really weird, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen next in the story, but for some reason I couldn't work out **how** to put it on paper (or in this case computer screen).

It's gotten better in the last few days though, so hopefully I will be able to update quicker in the future.

The last chapter that I sent was completely full of spelling mistakes and repeated words, even though I had gotten JohnnyG to pre-read it for me to get rid of any mistakes. Thankfully I have corrected the last chapter, with a lot of thanks going to Gene Crawford who sent me a corrected version of the chapter. I think I worked out what I did wrong last time and have managed to avoid it this chapter, I can only hope anyway. JohnnyG pre-read this chapter and the edited chapter he sent back shocked me simply because of the massive number of mistakes that it contained. My thanks go to him for taking the time to help me out.

Enough about that though, I've received quite a few reviews asking me to either do things or begging me not to do them. I just want reassure people that certain things won't happen, so I'm just going to write a list of things that under no circumstances will happen in this story.

1) First of all there is no way in hell that I am going to call 'the pigtailed wonder' Ryoga, nor am I going to call 'the lost boy' Ranma. I only did it for a small, probably unfunny joke that will happen when Ranma meets the Tenchi gang, I'm begging to think it wasn't worth it due to all the comments that people have made because of it.

2) Ranma is NOT going to go super Sayajin in this story, but he MAY do so in any sequel that I may write in the future, I'm not ruling it out yet. He will however not turn into a giant ape at the full moon.

3) Finally this is not going to be a Ranma/Tenchi pairing, as was suggested by a few people. I'm not against them at all, since there is a superb story out there called 'Aftermath: A story of blended clichés' that does it.

However in that story Ranma **was** a girl, not a cursed guy like this Ranma is. Also (and my opinion more important) is the reaction that Ryoko would have if Ranma and Tenchi got together. Ryoko would be upset if she lost Tenchi to someone else, but can you imagine what it would be like to lose him to her BROTHER! I would not want to be anywhere near them when that happened.

That's all I can think of right now, though I'll probably think of more later on.

I think I have worked out what I will do with the Neko-ken, as well as any powers Ranma will have. I tried to understand them, but then I concluded that since the whole series is fictional anyway then it won't matter too much if I change things here and there as long as it's reasonable, so I'm just going to go with it and not care too much for the consequences.

Thanks for all the reviews, they really are moral boosting. Keep them coming in.


	12. Chapter eleven

"My name is Kaori," she said, "Kaori Daikoku"

"Okay Miss Daikoku, your number five, which means that mister Nanishi is number fifteen," stated the announcer. He waited until an official wrote the two names at the two correct spots before turning back to the contestants.

"Well that's the draw done, if you forget who your fighting it's up here on the board. I wish all of you the best of luck. Now if you'll excuse me I have a tournament to start soon, so those of you who will be fighting next you a have a few minutes to prepare yourself."

Kaori piped up before the announcer could take two steps away from them. "Excuse me sir, do we have to stay here or are we allowed to go outside?"

"No of course not, feel free to go anywhere you want. Just be sure to be here when your fight is scheduled, otherwise you may be disqualified."

Kaori nodded her acknowledgment before turning and leaving, mumbling something about 'the little girl's room'.

"Well that was strange," said Tenchi as he watched the announcer enter the arena outside. "She's been fighting people all day and she only reveals who she is now? Cool entrance though, don't you think Ranma?"

"…umm yeah, cool…"

"Hey are you alright, you look kind of odd?" asked Tenchi.

"Oh yeah, life's just peachy." Hopefully he would be able to stay away from her for long enough that he wouldn't be pestered about life in Nerima. He had no desire to tell the whole story of his departure to anyone right now; it was still a bit painful for him.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all"

Tenchi was about to ask more, but was interrupted by the announcer's voice introducing his fight.

* * *

The tournament had created quite a stir when it was announced to the public. The opportunity to see some of the best fighters in the country was enough of an attraction that the three stands were filled to capacity, all eager for some action. Of course before every public event there is always some time before the event where the crowd has to wait patiently for something to happen. The crowd were taking the chance to talk amongst themselves, but soon became quiet when the announcer appeared in the arena.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the very first 'All Japan Anything Goes martial arts tournament', which brings together the very best talent from all over Japan right here to see who is the best of the very best. We had the preliminaries earlier to wheedle out the weak and leaving behind the strongest of the strong. First of all I am honoured here today to start you off with one of the top Fencing competitors in the world. She received a bronze medal in this year's Olympics against top competion and has stayed in the top five of the world rankings for the last three years running! She is surely a strong contender for this year's competition. It is my pleasure and a privilege to introduce you to Saro Yagomi!"

The crowd cheered as Saro stepped forward in her Gi and bowed slightly to them in acknowledgement.

After waiting for the crowd to calm down for a moment the announcer continued his introductions. "And to my left in his very first competion is a talented young man from the Masaki shrine, I bring you Tenchi Masaki!"

* * *

"Good luck Tenchi"

"Thanks man," muttered Tenchi as he nervously made his way up the arena steps. The applause that greeted him was far less that what was received for Saro.

This was noticed by a rather irate Ryoko.

"WHAT! Is that all you're going to say about him after you bored us to death with miss 'third rater' over there?" she yelled at the announcer.

"It is perfectly understandable Ryoko; Saro Yagami has competed on the international stage and come away with a medal, and as such has a large amount of publicity about her. Meanwhile Tenchi is a complete unknown, they can't say very much about someone that they don't know about can they?" reasoned Katshuhito.

"Well I still say it isn't right to favour one person like that," argued Ryoko.

"No one's saying that it is, but the guy doesn't have that much of an option does he?" replied Washu.

"Grandpa, why does Tenchi look so nervous?" asked Sasami.

Indeed Tenchi was standing quite stiffly as the crowd were reminded of the rules, not looking as if he was enjoying himself at all.

"You don't think he's scared do you? I mean he took apart Kagato and managed to escape a black hole, why would he be scared now?" asked Ayeka.

"That was different, a great deal was at stake and he was forced to either smother his fears to survive or drown in them. This is a completely different pressure altogether, to fight in front of a crowd of unknowns is a completely different thing," answered Yosho.

"You don't think that he'll lose do you?"

"No of course not Kiyone, quite the opposite actually. Tenchi has a large amount of experience with fighting, and his opponent isn't skilled enough to cause too many problems, as long as his nerves don't get the better of him. It doesn't help that he's never had to deal with this type of situation before, he is the centre of a lot of people's attention and he isn't used to that yet."

"Well I wouldn't say that's completely true, he's probably had enough attention from some certain love sick girls to last a lifetime," smirked Washu.

"Off course **some** people do nothing more than suffocate him with their presence."

"And WHAT is that supposed to mean?" growled Ryoko.

"I mean that you hang over him like a bad smell that won't go away," replied Ayeka cattily.

"More like a beautiful perfume to cover up the overpowering smell of hideousness from you!"

"Perfume? Ha, more like B.O!"

"Heh, better than wearing 'Ode de Onion Ring'!"

"How dare you! I wear far classier scents than that of fast food!"

"Garlic breathe!"

"Fish feet!"

"stinky arse!"

"Smelly greasy spot spot!"

"PUTRID…."

She was interrupted by a large cheer from the crowd. Looking down the two aliens spotted Tenchi standing with his boken resting against his opponent's neck, showing that he could have cut through it if he had a real sword.

The announcer was flabbergasted. "Amazing! I would never have believed it. Unbelievably the winner of the first match is Tenchi Masaki!"

"Tenchi won already! When did that happen?" asked Ayeka

"When you two were having your cat fight, you nearly caused us to miss it," said Kiyone, feeling rather constricted by the large pile of goodies that Mihoshi had collected, which of course she had to look after for her.

"Yay, Ten-chi won, Ten-chi won, Ten-chi won…" chanted Mihoshi.

Yosho just nodded his head in approval; his grandson had done well. He should have little trouble for the rest of the tournament.

* * *

Ranma was doing some light stretches as he waited for his turn to fight. Most of the other fights had come and gone, with only one fight to go before it was his turn to show what he was made of.

None of the fights that had happened so far had the same excitement value as Tenchi's fight had, all being over in a few minutes at most. For the most part they had been vastly one sided. A kick boxer had taken out a Kempo user in seconds, Kaori had turned up and delivered a right hook to her opponent's face that knocked him out, a Karate guy had beaten a Kun fu fighter with a well placed strike to the chest, the girl with the bucket had used it to uppercut her opponent out of the ring, and Goliath had been as delicate as ever and had picked up his opponent, by her neck, and thrown the poor girl out of the ring. Quite boring really.

Soon it would be Ranma's turn to fight, but before then he would get to see who he would be fighting in the next round if/when he won his own fight. It would be between a young Ju jitsu fighter and the Russian guy that Ranma had seen earlier. The announcer, after checking to see if the fighters were ready, started to announce the next fight. "Ladies and Gentlemen, that was quite the fight wasn't it? Now next we have the… hey give that back!" He was rudely interrupted by a dark haired woman in a business suit rushed on stage and snatched the microphone out of his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh don't worry; I'll give it back in a bit." She then faced the audience and started to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour of introducing a true legend in the making. This next fighter is, in my opinion, the favourite to win the entire competion. His strength and endurance is to be feared the world over, with no one on the planet able to compete with him."

Ranma snorted in laughter, she obviously hadn't met Ryoga, Lime or himself for that matter. If she had then she would have realised that this guy wasn't in the same league.

She continued her speech, not knowing of Ranma's mirth. "This tournament is a stepping stone for him to reach his true greatness, because soon he will take on the world heavyweight champion himself. When he wins he will be known as the greatest fighter in the world, and you have the privilege in seeing him take his first few steps to greatness. I give you, the future heavyweight champion of the world, Ivan Drago!"

As the Russian boxer arrived onto the arena floor a buzz suddenly rose up as the crowd started talking amongst themselves.

"Hey I know that guy; in his last fight he killed some American guy! Ares, Apollo, or something like that."

"Yeah, and the champ is fighting this guy for revenge for his lost friend. Is that cool or what?"

"There's no way that this guy will win."

"I'm not sure, Apollo was world champ a few years ago and he beat him to death!"

"Do you think he'll kill anyone here?"

"Oh my god, he's fighting my poor baby! I hope he'll be aright!" cried a woman who was obviously his mother.

The announcer approached the woman while the crowd were busy talking among themselves. "Have you finished yet, or are going to continue to stop me from doing my job?"

"Oh no I'm finished, I wouldn't want to get in the way of this quaint little tournament," she said as she handed the mic back to its original owner. "By the way my name's Spletlava."

"Great, I really wanted to know that," he mumbled before finishing the introductions. "Anyway as I was saying, his opponent today is an up and coming fighter who has the makings of a future champion, I present to you, Yoshimura!"

Ranma predicted the result as soon the new fighter advanced onto the stage. While the Russian was built like a tank, this guy was wiry and his frame told of someone who was very agile and fast, but with little power. He knew from his fights with Ryoga how difficult it was to fight someone who could take blow after blow without any real problem, while receiving a blow could end the fight quickly.

Soon both fighters were in the ring, waiting for permission to start. As soon as it was given the two fighters flew into action…

…only for Yoshimura to go flying across the ring after connecting with one of the burly boxer's fists.

"Oh boy that's got to hurt folks, taking a punch straight to the face like that is going to leave anyone out of sorts for a while. Can this young man recover and cause a monumental upset?"

Despite being on a receiving end of a blow that had enough force to smash several concrete bricks easily, Yoshimura managed to struggle to his feet and face his opponent, determined not to go down that easily.

Ivan Drago however was determined to make this a comprehensive win, and sensing a weakness in his quarry he charged in full guns blazing.

The first blow, while effectively blocked, caused massive bruising on his right arm, the next caused all the air to rush out of his lungs, and the next left the youngster seeing spots. A right hook made him taste blood, and a left-right combo took out his left arm and any remaining oxygen in his body. Any thoughts he may have had about retaliating against the barrage of hits was removed forcibly. The bombardment of strikes had long ago taken any strength that his limbs had. It was obvious to all that were watching that the fight was extraordinarily one sided.

Yet despite all this, Yoshimura didn't fall down. He was still there, on slightly unsteady legs that refused to give way.

Eventually however, that was what they did. Drago sent an especially vicious right blow towards his temple, which took him off the ground for the second time in the fight. He landed on the grass surrounding the arena, out of bounds. The fight was finally over.

"Wow what a hit! Yoshimura has been knocked out of the ring after receiving a vicious pounding. Ivan Drago is the winner!"

* * *

Ranma watched as the Russian left the stage. The 'fight' was more like a blood bath than a contest of skills between two capable fighters. Winning was one thing, humiliating your opponent was another thing, if slightly excessive, beating your opponent to a pulp when it was obvious that you were going to win all along was just going too far. There was no need to do that much damage to an opponent in a tournament unless the fight was really even, and in this case it wasn't. There was a brutality to that fight that had nothing to do with martial arts, and that didn't sit well with Ranma at all. If Ranma fought against him, then he was going to show him what it was like to feel pain.

Ranma had to give it to Drago's opponent though, he didn't go down easily. A bit more training and he would make a good fighter.

"Hey Ranma."

Ranma turned from his warm up to see Tenchi approaching him.

"Hi, did ya see the fight?"

"Yeah I did. That guy is tough; I hope I don't have to fight him."

"Nah he's not so tough, with him it's all talk. Anyway how were you friends?"

"Oh they were fine, though Ryoko was really angry at some guy that bumped into her earlier. She was accusing him of being a pervert, although knowing her it was a bit of an exaggeration."

"Heh, tell me about it. All the woman I've met take the smallest thing and throw it way out of proportion. I mean earlier I was getting some food when this psycho…"

Ranma would have continued his story, but the announcer chose that time to start the next fight.

* * *

"Hello. My name's Akiko Hitouchi, and today we are continuing with our fieldwork for our SS304 class in the Nerima district of Tokyo. We are here to prove that alcohol is just as much a drug as Cannabis or Crack in that it creates a strong dependence in even the lightest drinkers. How desperate? That is our purpose today, to see what randomly selected people will do for a small amount of Sake. Will their pride be too strong, or will even a small quantity of alcohol lure them into making fools of themselves? That is what we plan to find out today."

"Annnnd, CUT!" said the cameraman, a young man with messy black hair and wearing a purple 'Tokyo U' jumper. "Well that's the intro done."

"Yep, now all we need are the drunks," said Akiko, a pretty young woman wearing a blue sundress and sandals.

The cameraman hesitated slightly before raising a point with his girlfriend. "You know Akiko; the middle of the day probably isn't the best time to find people who want a drink…"

"It's the perfect time Shigeru, if people want a drink now then they must be a least slightly dependant on drink."

"Not necessarily, they could just like a sip of it every now and then," pointed out Shigeru.

"Look alcohol is a vile substance that turns normal, peaceful people into a population of slobbering drunks."

"Oh come on, just because you can get plastered on the smell of wet paint doesn't mean that anyone who drinks is a drunk," argued Shigeru.

"That's not true at all," said Akiko.

"I painted your room for you last semester and the next thing I know it's as if you've been on a three day drinking binge."

"Now you're exaggerating."

"You ran around the house naked while doing impressions of a jet fighter, I'd say that was pretty out of it."

"…no I didn't…"

"I've got the picture's to prove it."

"You what? You had better be joking!"

"Relax will ya, I never developed the film, I knew how embarrassing it would be for you…"

"Phew! Thanks a lot, you're a good friend."

"…which is why it's the perfect blackmail material" said Shigeru, a cheeky little smile on his face.

"…I hate you so much."

"Yeah I love you too." He then spotted someone coming towards them. "What about him, shall we ask him?"

Akiko took a look at who her partner had pointed out and shook her head. "No. He's wearing a suit, doesn't look like the type to do something like this."

"You do realise that we're supposed to at least pretend to do a scientific experiment, and that means asking a randomly…"

"…selected group, I know," interrupted Akiko. "Fine, if you insist we'll talk to the next man we see."

"Only men?"

Sigh. "Fine, the next person then. Now all we have to do is wait. Lets see… oh look at him, he's perfect!"

Shigeru looked at where his girlfriend pointed and saw a large set man wearing a ratty bit of cloth that might once have been a gi and a dull white bandana on his head. "What's so special about him?"

Akiko looked at him as if he had asked if the sky was in fact blue. "Just look at him, the only people who wear clothing like that are people who live on the streets, and they always want a drink. He's bound to do something stupid for a drink or two."

"I don't know, he looks like a martial artist to me. Aren't they supposed to have a high sense of personal honour or something? I don't think he'll even do one of the dares we have for him."

"We'll see won't we, turn your camera on and let's see what this man will do for a drink."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce the next two competitors to fight for the chance to be crowned the best in all of Japan!" stated the announcer, though mumbling afterwards about 'microphone stealing woman interfering with him doing his job'. "Our next fighter has travelled all the way from Osaka for this competition, let me introduce you to the master of Arnis, Saeko Shimazu!"

At the introduction a fairly tall Samoan man made his way onto the arena floor. He was wearing a bright yellow Gi with some kind of feathered hat on his head, while carrying two arm-length sticks with him, which were covered in ornate decoration.

"And opponent is a young man who has vastly impressed us with his skill during the preliminary fights, so much so that he has been picked by many as a '**Wild **card', or the 'Dark **horse**' for this tournament. I give you Ranma Nanashi!"

At that point a young man wearing a red and black Chinese outfit walked onto the arena floor.

Ayeka recognised him instantly. "Hey, isn't that the guy from earlier Ryoko? Ryoko…"

It appeared that she wasn't the only one who recognised him.

"IT'S HIM! I'll kill the bastard; wait till I get my hands on him I'm gonna…"

"You are going to sit down and tell me what is going on, then you will watch the fight peacefully. We are not going to ruin this for Tenchi, am I making myself clear?" said Yosho firmly.

Reluctantly Ryoko sat back down again, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting at having to let the pervert get away again. She knew where he was though, and as soon as this tournament was over she was going to give him some serious kick ass. There was no way that he wasn't going to get away from her this time.

Meanwhile, unaware of any potential dangers appearing in the future, Ranma was mumbling to himself about his introduction.

"Wild card he says, Dark horse he says. Ha Ha, very funny! Stupid know it all announcers…"

When Ranma stopped grumbling he was on the arena floor, facing off against his opponent. The guy was fairly tall, about twenty years older than him and was wearing a look that screamed 'I'm so out of your league it ain't true'.

Way too easy.

It was then that the man spoke. "Greetings little boy. I guess you are wondering who you are going to lose to, yes?"

"Get on with it, I'm getting bored here," said Ranma as he tried to stifle a yawn.

"Fine then, be that way. My name is Saeko Shimazu. I bring great honour to this tournament by my presence. I have defeated all who have come up against my awesome might, many of whom are far older and stronger than you are. You have no chance to beat me, so as a gentleman I had better warn you that you prepare to be defeated. What say you?"

"I think you talk too much."

"Ha Ha Ha, I like you boy, you have spunk. At least you can not say that I didn't warn you about your impending doom."

"Yeah yeah, get on with it already" shrugged Ranma. Man this guy could yak almost as much as Kuno.

"I believe that would be a good idea. I will show what it means to be a true fighter. When you are ready we will begin."

"Heh, I've been ready since you started talking half an hour ago, lets go."

Both fighters stood there for a moment, taking in the other person's stance and how to best exploit it for the best effect. They tensed ready for battle, waiting for an un-spoken signal to start the fight.

Off course they didn't need that at all. "Hey you two calm down!" interrupted the announcer as he stepped in between the two combatants. "Sheesh, what is it today with everyone trying to take my job, no one fights until I tell you to, is that understood?"

He waited for nods from both fighters before continuing. "Ok, you know the rules right? Well then, FIGHT!"

"Well that was pointless," muttered Ranma, before effortlessly ducking a fist that was aimed at his face and hopping over the follow up kick. He spent a few minutes in the same vein, using little effort to avoid blows sent his way while counting the holes in his opponents defence. After a while the fight started to get tiring for Ranma, although it wasn't because he was physically tired. It was just that his opponent was getting really annoying.

"I see that you are in fear of my great skills, young one. Fighting in a defensive manner is always the quickest way to eventual defeat, save yourself the effort and submit defeat to me. You know it is for the best. Why in the summer of 1978 I came across a man who… "

That was it as far as Ranma was concerned. If he listened to any more of this then he was going to throw up. "Oh will you SHUT UP!" Grabbing Saeko's over extended arm he pulled him off balance before flipping over his head and using the momentum to send the man out of the arena.

The announcer blinked for a moment before he realised that he was supposed to say something about now. "Oh, erm… the winner of the match is Ranma Nanisha!"

* * *

At the Tendo Dojo Mr Tendo was waiting patiently at the Go board, sipping a cup of tea and glancing up at the clock every now and then. He didn't know what was taking Genma so long, he was only going to get some more Sake after all. It was a 15-minute journey tops, yet he had been gone for 20. His old friend wasn't normally one to take so long over something as important as Sake, something must have held him up. Hopefully it wasn't anything serious, although he was confident that his old friend could fight his way out of anything.

In the mean time, he may as well do something while he waited, at least it would keep him busy for a while. Today's crossword would be enough to keep his mind occupied until Genma got back.

* * *

Nabiki was walking home form school early today, there had been an explosion just after lunch that had destroyed three walls of one of the science rooms and had caused a fair amount of damage to the hall outside as well. Apparently the science club had gone a bit overboard on one of their experiments and it had gone out of control. While there were no fatalities, the entire club had to go to hospital to treat their injuries. When the builders had arrived the principle had been forced to allow the rest of the school to take the day off, but were told to be back tomorrow.

In most areas it would take several days at least to remove the rubble, build a new wall, plaster it, and fit in any electronics and plumbing that was required, and that was if they were making a real effort to get the job done.

In Nerima it would be done by the next day. So much damage was done to the area that if they took any length of time on one particular job then half the town would be in rubble.

Anyway, that left Nabiki had the rest of the day off. She had several extra hours where she could do whatever she desired, whether that be collecting debts, taking bets or finding out the newest gossip.

Right now however she was pondering a mystery that had been given to her since lunch today, when a certain okonmyaki chef spent the break with her. Ukyo knew something, and was trying to let Nabiki know without outright telling her.

Nabiki had spent most of her time afterwards trying to work out what she was hinting at, though with the large hints towards having a Jusenkyo cursed person being a spy it didn't take too much taxing to work it out. What was confusing her though was why Ukyo didn't wish to tell her in a straightforward manner instead of beating around the bush.

She had come up with three theories why this was the case. The first was that she was being threatened in some way that forced her into secrecy. It was possible, though Ukyo didn't seem scared or even worried, more sly than anything else.

The next theory was that she knew someone that trusted her to keep a secret, and Ukyo wanted someone else to know without betraying that trust. The problem with that was that was Ukyo didn't seem to have any hesitation when she was talking, so she obviously wasn't regretting what she was doing. Maybe she didn't like the person as much as they though she did.

The last theory was that she couldn't relieve her secret because she had promised on her martial artist honour, and was now regretting doing so. While Ranma had taken to keeping promises to an extreme (to Nabiki's profit), she was fully aware of how important honour was to other martial artists, and Ukyo would be no different. A promise to secrecy would mean that she couldn't divulge that information to a living soul.

Giving a few subtle hints however was totally acceptable.

Whatever the reason, the most probable secret that she was keeping was that there was someone else in Nerima who was cursed by the waters of Jusenkyo and was using their alternative form for secretive activities, what they were being unknown. One thing that was for certain was Ukyo was concerned enough about it to contact her, despite being unwilling to give her any sort of detail. Nabiki was going to keep her eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary…

…Like any noticeably odd animals.

* * *

"And the winner is Tenchi Masaki!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically as Tenchi hurriedly made his way to where Ranma was waiting, looking as if he would rather be anywhere else than in front of all those people.

"Hey, well done Tenchi, you made it look easy," said Ranma as he congratulated his friend.

"Thanks, wish I didn't have to fight in front of all those people though. I'm still kind of nervous about it."

"Well, you shouldn't be. You're a good fighter, one of the best kendoists I've seen."

"You think so?" asked Tenchi.

"Yeah, I reckon you're better than this guy I knew named Kuno…"

He was interrupted by a voice from behind him. "Oh hey Ranma, I didn't know you were here."

Slowly, Ranma turned to see his ex fiancée standing next to him, smiling with recognition. _Oh hell, I so don't need this_. "Hi Kaori, I didn't expect to see you here."

Kaori glanced at the arena outside. "I'd love to stay here and chat, but my fight's starting in a minute. I'll be back in a sec." She then exited the tent for her quarterfinal.

Waiting until she was out of sight, Ranma started cursing profusely to all the kami that were messing with his life. He just knew that Kaori would chat about their brief meeting in Nerima, and he didn't want to deal with those memories just yet. The way that his 'family', as he had thought of them as, had abandoned him just like that was still a sore subject, even with the time he had had to get used to it.

From outside he heard the announcer starting the fight. "Okay, you know the rules. Ready…FIGHT!"

It had already occurred to Ranma that there was some sense of irony here somewhere. Many a time a new fiancée had turned up and threatened to take him away from the dojo, only for Mr Tendo to get incredibly territorial over his claim to Ranma being his son in law. When Kaori had shown up he had nearly blown a gasket, yet a few months later he let Ranma go with nary a care in the world except for the joining of the schools.

"Erm Ranma, are you alright?"

Oh yeah, and Tenchi was hanging around as well. He didn't really feel like explaining his fucked up life to someone who wouldn't be able to believe even half the weirdness that had happened to him. He would probably just think that Ranma was nuts, or at least a little disturbed.

"I'm fine, nothing's wrong" said Ranma.

"You sure?" asked Tenchi uncertainly, "You seemed pretty upset at that seeing that girl there."

"…and Kaneto Shiozawa dives in straight away with a leaping side kick, followed by a right hook. Both strikes miss though as his opponent simply weaves around them with seemingly no effort at all…

"Nah, it was nothing."

"…oh and Kaori has struck a vicious blow with her chopsticks, sending her opponent into unconsciousness and out of the tournament. The winner of the match is Kaori Daisuke!"

Tenchi blinked for a second; surely he couldn't have heard him right. "Did he just say chopsticks?"

Ranma raised his eyebrow in confusion, not really seeing a problem. "Well yeah, she is a student of martial arts take away," he said, as if that explained everything.

The two boys watched as the victor approached them. One was still trying to work out how the delivery of food could become a fighting art, while the other hoped that his old acquaintance didn't get too personal.

* * *

"Hello, is this the crossword helpline? Good, I'm having some trouble with today's crossword and was wondering if you could help me. Alright then, could I first have the answer for one across? Okay, and could I also have two across…and now three across…and four across…hmm hmm and how about five across…"

Mr Tendo's trail of thought was interrupted when a horrifying stench entered the room. "I'm sorry miss, but I'm going to have to hang up. It seems that the toilet has broken." Hanging up the phone Soun wondered what could have caused such a disgusting odour to spread so quickly throughout the house. Hopefully it could be fixed easily; otherwise he was going to have to reduce the amount he drank. He knew Genma wasn't going to like that. Speaking of which, it sounded like he had just gotten back now…

It took Soun a while for his brain to make out what was in front of him. When he did though he saw a large-ish 'man' (it was hard to tell) wearing a multi-coloured clowns outfit that looked to have seen better days, a ratty black wig that was falling apart, reindeer antlers that had several 'things' in them (most of which Soun had no idea what they were, nor inclination to find out), and a pair of tennis rackets on his feet, acting as a pair of snow shoes. The figure had a large amount of girly makeup upon 'his' face that looked like a child had been set loose with a paint brush, and the words 'I am a desperate drunk' written on 'his' forehead. In his right hand he was carrying a large sack that wouldn't have looked out of place in his master's (may he rot in hell) presence.

Oh yes, and the aroma coming from him was enough to make Mr Tendo wonder if it would be a good idea to completely lose his sense of smell.

It was at this point that the figure decided to speak out to him. "Great news Tendo, I've got enough free booze for month at least!"

Hang on, he recognised that voice. "Saotome! What the hell happened to you?"

"Not much, why ask?"

"Not much? Just look at you!"

Genma glanced down at himself and understood what his friend meant. "Oh this? I just came across a couple of people who were offering free sake to people who were brave enough to do some dares for them," Genma then smirked and pointed to himself, "and you know me Tendo, brave is my middle name."

Mr Tendo sighed, close to despair. He knew he shouldn't ask, but he just had to. "What kind of dares?"

"Er. I can't quite remember them all."

"Just tell me a few then."

"Hmm, well first I had to rub garlic paste onto my chest, then I had to eat an entire onion. That was nasty, they hadn't even cooked it! Then there was face painting. That was really easy, all they did was put some stuff on me, not exactly painful…"

Mr Tendo decided not to mention to his friend what was on his face, let him find out for himself.

"…Anyway, there was the clown impression that I had to do in the local shrine, and the Elvis impression. Oh and I had to lie on the path and let people walk over me for a few minutes, nothing that a martial artist such as myself couldn't withstand" said Genma proudly.

"Is that it?"

"I think so," pondered Genma, "I can't remember anything else."

Mr Tendo relaxed slightly, having feared that Genma may have gone too far. "Well I suppose it wasn't that bad, at least you didn't dive into the sewers or anything as like that."

"Oh yes," exclaimed Genma as he punched his other hand in realisation, "I'd forgotten that one!"

"Oh" said Mr Tendo simply. He didn't feel like finding out any more details, he had the basic idea of what had happened.

"Anyway, enough of that. The point is that they gave me all this for free," said Genma as he reached into his sack and proceeded remove twenty bottles of Sake from it. "It may have been a bit awkward, but a Martial artists life is full of peril and all that. I'm certainly not going to complain about all of this!"

_Genma has a point_, thought Mr Tendo. _It wasn't as if he was truly harmed or anything, and that is a lot of sake. Still…_

"Genma, I know that you would like to start celebrating, but don't you think it would be best that you clean up first?"

"Why bother Soun, we're here now ready to celebrate this wonderful fortune. Why waste time when we could be having fun?" asked Genma as he started to open one of the bottles.

"Oh I quite agree Saotome, but I don't think that your wife would take quite the same view. If she were to see you like this…"

Genma froze as he contemplated that. Nodoka didn't approve of him being in, as she would describe it, and 'unpresentable condition'. To Genma's annoyance, she didn't understand that all great martial artists must work constantly to gain physical perfection and that often lead to him smelling like a dead corpse. Yet instead of enjoying his manly smell, she often forced him to go and wash up. Not just normal washing though, she would make sure that he was so clean that his skin was raw.

He just couldn't understand woman sometimes.

"Yes, you're probably right Tendo. Nodoka would not be best pleased to see me like this. I'll just wash up, and then we can get down to some serious celebrating."

Genma then got up and left for the furo upstairs. This stirred the air in the room, allowing Soun to get a fresh idea of how badly his guest smelled.

_He's my best friend and all, but I would rather he use the public baths this time. Kasumi will be cleaning up for hours in there.

* * *

_

"Hi Ranma, it's nice to see you again."

Ranma jumped slightly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "Yeah, hi Kaori."

Kaori frowned slightly, was it her imagination or was he acting nervously? She couldn't possibly imagine why he would do so, she must be imagining it.

"It's been awhile since we met hasn't it, how have you been?"

Ranma hesitated for a moment, not really sure what to say. "I've had better times, that's for sure."

"Oh that's too bad." It was then that she realised that she wasn't alone. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you like that. My name's Kaori Daikoku of the Daikoku school of Martial arts Take Out, and you would be…"

Tenchi took his cure to introduce himself. "My name's Tenchi Masaki…"

"Oh yes, now I know!" exclaimed Kaori, "I'm fighting you in the semis aren't I? I watched you in your last fight, you're actually pretty good. I certainly can't wait for our bout."

Tenchi perked up slightly at that comment. "Me too, I've never heard of anyone fight with your style before."

"Well, you learn something new every day don't you?" She then focused entirely on the other pigtailed youth. "Soooo… how's it going between you and Akane?" she asked.

"Who's Akane?" asked Tenchi, not recognising the name.

"Er... she's my ex-fiancée…"

"Your ex-fiancée? You mean you split up! Ohh, you do realise I'm available don't you? We can always go back to **our** engagement can't we?"

"Ack, no!" exclaimed Ranma. "Er, I mean that I don't think that would be possible."

Kaori face grew a stern expression and she frowned at the ever nervous Ranma. "Look, you don't really have a choice do you. We had an honourable agreement between our two families that must be fulfilled. If it wasn't for the fact that you were with Akane then we would already **be** married. Now that you aren't though, you have no choice other than to follow the agreement that was arranged between our fathers."

"Actually he's not my father."

"…excuse me?"

Ranma scratched his pigtail and chuckled nervously, realising that he put his foot in his mouth again. "Well you see…like I said he isn't my father."

Kaori allowed herself a moment to absorb that information before allowing herself to speak again. "So, you're saying that your father is not Genma Saotome."

"Yeah." Geeze, this girl was slow; he had already told her twice.

"So... I'm assuming that your name is not Ranma Saotome."

Ranma paused to work out how to answer the question. "No, I guess I'm not." It was true, technically anyway. It depended on what she meant by the name, did she mean the title, or the actual person.

Tenchi chose that time to speak up, confused as he was by the conversation. "Hang on; I thought your name was Ranma Nanishi."

Ranma nodded in agreement with Tenchi. _Ranma no-name, yeah that's me alright_.

Kaori wasn't happy. "This is just great; I spend my whole life training to be the perfect wife for someone who probably doesn't even exist! I mean Saotome probably didn't even have a son, did he!" She started pacing in front of the two boys, trying to work out some aggression.

"Oh yeah he did, but he's actually called Ryoga."

Kaori blinked and turned back to face Ranma, listening carefully. "You mean he really does have a son, and his name is actually Ryoga instead of Ranma?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Ranma. He looked at her confusedly, wondering why she had that strange look on her face. He hoped she wasn't going to go all funny on him, in his experience girls could be very weird at times.

"…are they living at the dojo, you know, the one I met you at?" she asked quietly.

_There she goes again. _"Erm, yeah he should be there" _Although he's probably halfway to Europe right now knowing him._

It was at that moment that the fighters for the next quarterfinal were asked to approach the arena. "Oh, okay then. Well I have to go, prepare for the semis and all that. See you there Tenchi, I'll try not to beat you too badly. It was nice seeing you again Ranma"

Tenchi watched as his future opponent walked away, looking a bit lost. "You know, I get the feeling I don't want to know what you two were talking about."

"Yeah, you don't know the half of it," said Ranma in agreement.

Meanwhile, hidden by the entrance, a young woman took in the information she had heard with interest before she exited the fighter's marquee. At last, after all these years she had finally found what she was looking for.

* * *

Ranma stood alone watching the next quarterfinal. The next fight was between a guy he had already fought against, the 'man mountain' goliath, who looked less than impressive with the large bandage on his head, and a girl called Sakura Ogata, who was dressed in blue workers overalls with a couple of squeegees attached to a belt and was also carrying a large bucket in her right hand. The bucket caught Ranma's interest, as rather than being made from cheap plastic it was built from a solid looking metal decorated with studs and spikes covering its outer covering. Attached to its handle was a thick chain, reminding him of a ball and chain.

Both fighters were standing in their ready positions, Goliath's being a traditional boxing stance while Sakura stood in an unusual stance where she used her left hand as a guard while her right was held behind, holding onto the chain and letting the bucket dangle underneath. They didn't move as they waited for the announcer to finish talking and start the fight.

A large shadow loomed over Ranma, who turned to stare at the chest of the Russian boxer, Ivan Drago. From the moment he had seen him fight he had taken an instant dislike to him, but from up close the feeling was multiplied several times over. The look he was giving Ranma was very familiar to him, it was one he had seen on many a face of gang fighters when Genma had done something stupid to get them angry. They always gave him the look that clearly stated that they were going to utterly destroy him; mind, body and soul, and they would enjoy every second of it. Of course Ranma had always managed to beat them up before they managed to do anything to him, Genma had always claimed it was part of his training. Therefore he wasn't anywhere near as unnerved as he could have been.

#Wimps, all of them,# said the boxer as he watched both fighters preparing, looking unimpressed

#You think?# replied Ranma.

#Oh so you speak English! Is good, it can get boring only speaking to Ivan's manager all the time.#

Ranma shrugged his shoulders, #I pick some up in places, I know enough.#

The Russian's attention was fully on Ranma now. #I am surprised you still here, puny boy,# said Ivan, speaking in a cold and distant manner. #After seeing Ivan' last fight most people would be running to their mommies, especially if they know I be facing them in the ring.#

Oh yes, Ranma hadn't forgotten the way he had treated his last opponent; he was going to have some fun with this guy. #Yes, well I'm not most people am I?# remarked Ranma, adding a smirk for good measure. He'd show this guy what a real fighter was.

The boxer rather than being intimidated, or even annoyed, just raised an eyebrow. #You is confident, are you not?#

Naturally, Ranma smirked even more.

#Well, I is sorry to disappoint you but there only be one winner of our fight. Is only one reason why I even speaking to you is I wish to study next opponent.#

#You are confident too,# chuckled Ranma.

The Russian simply glanced towards the arena. #It pay to be prepared. Like I say, our fight only have one outcome. This fight also only have one outcome; it interest me to see how strong 'Man Mountain Goliath' really is. If he as strong as his namesake, then I should have an interesting fight. Now I go now, I have to meet with Ivan's manager.#

Ranma watched as the Russian walked to the other side of the marquee, where Ranma noted that the woman who had stolen the announcer's microphone earlier was standing. While he wasn't showing it much on the outside, he was very amused. He had faced the eight-headed Orochi, beaten the prince of the Musk, killed the demigod Saffron… and this guy thought he was a wimp!

Oh, he was going to show this guy what he was made of alright, he was looking forward to it. In the meantime, he watched the arena as the announcer signalled the fight to start.

* * *

Author's notes

I know, I can't believe it either. I actually got round to updating this story!

Really sorry for the wait, but I had a really bad case of writer's block. The reason was that I think I made a bit of a mistake by having so many fights in the tournament; I was struggling to think of a way to describe what was going on without repeating the same thing over and over again. Eventually I found a way (I believe) to do it, and now the only fights left are the serious ones that everyone wants to see.

Anyway, a big thanks goes to JohnnyG again for pre-reading this. He doesn't have to do it and he doesn't get anything out of it, but he does it anyway. Thanks.

Okay, you will probably have to wait a bit for the next chapter since I have to find a part time job to get through uni, start doing coursework, etc… Though I will update quicker than the seven months or so since I last updated.

Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter, and keep the reviews coming in.


	13. Chapter twelve

"I'm home!"

"Hello Nabiki, what are you doing back home so soon?" asked Mr. Tendo, not looking up from the game of go he was participating in. No need to give his opponent an unfair opportunity after all.

"There was a small accident at school today, some of it got blown up by the chemistry club," Nabiki explained.

"That's nice," said Mr. Tendo as he watched Genma making his move, frowning at his poor position. "I hope no one was hurt."

"Oh no, everyone was fine. A few people were injured, but nothing too serious." She then scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Whew, where on earth is that smell coming from?"

A sweat drop appeared on both of the patriarch's faces at the remark. Genma quickly got up, excused himself and headed upstairs towards the furo.

Nabiki looked at her father questionably, "What was all that about?"

"Oh, erm nothing at all Nabiki", flustered Mr. Tendo, "Saotome had an interesting experience today that's all."

"Uh huh," said Nabiki, not at all convinced. Still, it was unlikely that there was anything going on that would affect her in any negative way, so she just let it go. Besides, she had some new financial plans to come up with that couldn't wait.

"I'm home!"

That sounded like Akane, and for some reason she didn't seem happy. Now she could be wrong, but she was an expert at reading people, and while some people were difficult to read, her sister wasn't one of them.

"Ahhhh! I can't believe that baka!"

Bingo. "What's up sis?" asked Nabiki.

"It's Ryoga. I swear I turned around for a second and when I looked back he was gone!"

Oh, that explained it then. Ryoga had gone wandering off again.

"You're being a bit harsh aren't you, I thought you had a soft spot for the guy," said Nabiki.

"I don't have any feelings for him, we're just friends!" Akane sighed rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Besides, there are only so many times that you can stop him from walking in some strange direction before you start wanting to knock some sense into him. I mean, if I hadn't stopped him earlier he would have walked straight into the canal. He's hopeless!"

"Now Akane, that is no way to talk to about your fiancé," Mr. Tendo admonished.

That caused Akane to glare her father, nearly going so far as to imitate his demon head technique. To his credit he didn't quite soil himself, though he did visibly shrink somewhat.

"I'll be in my room if anyone wants me," said Akane, not taking her eyes off her father's. After she was happy that he had been cowed sufficiently, she turned around and stomped up to her room.

Nabiki could only shake her head at her family's antics. Her father was acting just as he had done when her sister was engaged to Ranma, while Akane was still trying to get used to the idea of Ryoga being her fiancé. It didn't help that she had to be his virtual minder when at school, making sure that he didn't wander off somewhere he shouldn't be. Hopefully they would settle down and eventually get used to the new arrangements, otherwise things at the dojo would become very interesting. Oh well, at least it should prove profitable, speaking of which…

Nabiki was about to head upstairs to her room and the finances within, when she heard a loud squealing in the back garden. Curious, she headed outside, and soon found where the noise was coming from.

It was P-chan, trying to force open the dojo door with its snout. _Smart pig_, mused Nabiki, _maybe someone trained it before we found him._ Well, she already knew it had to have had some kind of training; after all they had never had a problem with it not being house-broken. Or maybe Kasumi just never complained about it 'marking his territory'.

_No that's not right, it's dogs that do that isn't it?_ Not that it mattered as far as she was concerned, it was a nice, clean, low maintenance pet; which was quite a surprise considering pigs had a reputation for being dirty animals with endless appetites.

She blinked as she suddenly noticed something about her sister's pet piggy, causing her to look at it as if she was seeing it for the first time.

P-chan had been the Tendo's pet for the last year or so, although Akane claimed him as her own. Even though Ranma had disliked the little piggy intensely, everyone else at the dojo had been quite happy with P-chan's presence, and he had quickly become a valued member of the family. Despite her initial fears about him eating them out of house and home, P-chan hadn't done so. In fact he hadn't put any body weight on at all.

Which was strange, because normally little piggies tend to grow up to become big piggies. P-chan hadn't.

Thinking back to lunch earlier that day, Ukyo had given Nabiki some hints of something going on, and she remembered telling herself afterwards looking out for some any strange animals that could in fact be humans in disguise.

Watching the little piglet trying to work its way into the dojo, she decided that an animal with what looked like eternal youth counted as pretty strange.

Seeing that P-chan had given up and was now sitting despondently on the ground, Nabiki advanced towards him and lifted him off the ground by what she noticed as a **very** familiar bandana.

"Oh look, you're all dirty, let me help you with that," she said as she headed inside.

* * *

"Ok, Ready…FIGHT!" 

Instead of attacking straight away, Goliath decided to make a comment or two instead. "You know, I don't want to hurt you little lady. It would be a real shame to harm someone who's as pretty as you. Why don't you just forfeit the fight and get on with your life. Leave the fighting to the men."

"Don't you think that's a bit chauvinistic?" asked Sakura, still standing in her ready position. "You never know, I may actually win this fight."

Goliath laughed at the remark. "Oh I doubt it. When a slip of a girl like you is able to defeat me, me the great Goliath, I'll retire in shame!"

"I wouldn't make promises that you aren't prepared to keep."

"Ha ha ha, oh I like you girl! You've got guts that's for sure," chuckled Goliath. "It'll be a shame to beat you in such an unfair contest. I'll tell you what, to make it fair I'll let you get the first hit in."

"Er, I'm not sure if that's a good idea?"

"Oh come on. You can say what you like about me, but I never mistreat the ladies. Come on give it your best shot, right here on my noggin," said Goliath as he stuck his chin out towards his opponent.

"Well, if your sure," said Sakura, pulling back her right fist to deliver a punch to the boxer…

* * *

SLAM 

Ranma winched when he saw Goliath flying out of the ring, looking more than slightly dazed. That girl had some serious strength, the punch looked to be as strong as some of Akane's. Hopefully she didn't have the same temper though.

"…I…I cant believe it! What a result, the shock winner of the match is Sakura Ogata!" cried the announcer.

Glancing to his left Ranma watched Ivan Drago staring in shock, obviously not expecting what he had just seen to occur. He was just looking from the prone form of Goliath, to the relaxed form of Sakura who was waving to the crowd as they cheered for her.

He could understand why Ivan would be so surprised; to the average viewer it made sense for the bigger person to win the fight easily, being stronger looking and having a greater reach. Ranma however had fought a little old lady by the name of Cologne, as well as the old leech, and knew that was not always the case. Maybe he would learn his lesson and take Ranma seriously.

He doubted it somehow.

Anyway he'd soon find out if he had or not, the announcer was getting over his shock and was starting to announce the next fight, between himself and Ivan Drago.

* * *

Nabiki checked the furo door to see if anyone was using it, and after seeing that the occupied sign wasn't there she quickly entered, still holding a struggling P-chan. Glancing around it was obvious that while no one was there right now, the amount of panda fur around suggested that her 'Uncle' Saotome had spent a fair amount of time in here, and he hadn't cleaned up after himself (as usual). 

That wasn't important now; she was here for another reason. Luckily the furo was still full with noticeably warm water, and that suited her purposes perfectly.

"Now P-chan, lets clean you up," she said, at which point the little pigs struggles went from determined to panicked as he tried his best to remove himself from her grasp. Unluckily for him Nabiki had a good grip on his bandana, and no matter how much P-chan twisted and turned he couldn't get loose. He got closer and closer to that dreaded hot water, and he knew that if he made contact with it then things would quickly turn ugly.

It was quite a relief then when Nabiki stopped his descent just a few centimeters above the surface.

"What's the matter P-chan, don't you like the water?" asked Nabiki in a concerned voice.

P-chan shook his head vigorously, desperately trying to get away from the water.

"Oh dear, I'm not sure if I'll be able to clean you without getting you wet," said Nabiki in annoyance, "What am I going to do now? I suppose I could get Akane to do it for you, would you like that?" P-chan's head-shaking went from panicked to completely terrified, and Nabiki was sure that his head was moving at Mach 2 at the moment. In fact he was struggling so hard that Nabiki had to make a real effort to keep him in her grasp.

"Careful P-chan, if I lose my grip you'll fall straight into the furo." Instantly the piglet stopped, the only sign of life in his body was a slight tremble.

"Hmm, you are a smart pig aren't you?" said Nabiki. "Well whatever, I'd better start doing some homework now. I'll leave you here, okay P-chan? That way if you want to use the furo without me then you can do so." Nabiki then turned and closed the furo door behind her without a backward glance, leaving a suitably shaken piglet behind.

After she exited the furo, Nabiki walked calmly down the hall and entered her bedroom, closing her door quietly behind her. Once she had locked it she stood in front of her wall, staring at nothing and showing no emotions on her placid face.

Wham…"Damn it"…Wham…"Damn it"…Wham…"Damn it"…Wham…"Damn it"…

Until Nabiki decided the best way to vent her frustrations was to bang her head against the door. Repeatedly.

* * *

5 Minutes later 

…Wham…"Damn it"…Wham…"Damn it"…Wham…"Damn it" …WHAM…"OWW. GOD DAMN IT!"

That last blow caused Nabiki to stop abusing the wall and step away from it, rubbing her forehead. She idly noticed it was going to hurt for a quite while.

"I've been so stupid!" she said heatedly. "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier, Ryoga is P-chan, it's so bloody obvious when you think about it. DAMN IT!" Now all those P-chan comments that Ranma made make sense. He never did like P-chan, and he always tried to stop Akane from picking him up or cuddling him, though why he didn't just tell everyone about Ryoga's curse she had no idea. She slammed her head against the wall once more for good measure for being so stupid.

Midway through rubbing her head she froze, "Oh man, he slept in her bed. If she ever finds out he's going to be ripe for the butcher!" she said as she paced across her room

Eventually she stopped her pacing and made an effort to calm herself down. Emotions always made for weak decision-making. "Well at least I know what Ukyo was hinting at, I'll have to see her tomorrow and see if I'm right. Meanwhile, I'll have to give Ryoga an incentive to come clean about his curse. Hmmm, this may be fun…"

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for our last quarter final may I introduce…hey give that back!" 

Spletlava smirked while twirling around the microphone that was now in her hand. "You snooze, you loose. Maybe if you paid more attention to your surroundings then you wouldn't let things like this happen to you."

Turning to the audience she prepared herself, while using her outstretched arm to keep the announcer at bay as he tried to take back the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, after having to watch nothing but mediocrity so far, we are back to the main event. A man who will soon be the most recognized fighter on the planet, someone who will surely go into history as a true legend of the ring. I, off course, introduce to you none other than Mr. Muscle himself, Ivan Drago!"

On cue the Russian boxer entered the ring, greeting the hyped up crowd before going through some simple warm-up exercises.

"And his 'opponent' today is some guy named Panama Na-shiti," she said unenthusiastically.

"That's Ranma Nanashi!" growled the announcer, still trying to get the microphone, "If your going to upstage me at least do it properly."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" shrugged Spletlava.

Ranma entered the ring to a surprisingly large cheer; apparently the crowd were supporting the local underdog rather than the future world champion. Many of the woman thought it was a shame that it was going to end in a slaughter though, he was quite good looking.

Before each fighter could start any posturing, Spletlava beckoned both fighters towards her.

SLAM. "And stay down!" As well as getting rid of some unwanted distractions. "If you have any significantly dramatic comment to make now is the time to make it."

The announcer would have intervened at that point, but he was currently unconscious at the moment.

"Is no need to, I wipe my ass clean of more worthwhile opponents everyday than this piece of skin and bone. Only winner here is Ivan Drago."

"Oh yes, deep, yet dramatic. You guys in the crowd are watching a genius in action here." She then turned towards the smaller teenager. "And you young man, do you wish to say anything before this fight?"

"Nah, I'm good," said Ranma simply.

"You sure? You don't want to start a fight with a negative mind set you know, its not as fun to see you lose if you don't think you have a chance, even if it is only a miniscule one," said Spletlava.

"Like I said, I'm fine."

"…did I mention how miniscule your chance of winning is?"

"Yep"

"And you don't want to delay the fight any longer by making some sort of speech?"

"Nope"

"You sure?"

"Yep"

"Fine be like that, but it's a lot less dramatic this way," grumbled Spletlava. "Now then I only have one thing to say, let this fight BEGIN!"

With the announcer… disposed… at the moment, Spletlava had to do the commentary as well.

"And it's a confident start by the champ, he's come out swinging with a startling number of powerful blows, each one likely to end the fight if they connect. The challenger's been lucky so far that he's managed to avoid them, but against a fighter of Ivan Drago's ability how long can he keep this up?"

Off course she was completely unbiased in her comments.

Anyway, Ivan had indeed started in an aggressive manner, attempting to finish the bout as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for him while his punches were powerful and he was showing a lot of aggression, he was far too slow for his elusive opponent, who was taking great delight in avoiding everything thrown at him with ease.

"Is this all ya got? I've fought Grandmas who are faster than you are! And grandpas, pandas, tomboys, pig-boys…"

Soon enough the pig-tailed boys words were forcing Ivan to up his tempo in a desperate bid to at least make contact with his pigtailed foe, but the effort seemed be wasted as all his punches were avoided like he was wasn't even trying.

"…and now Ivan Drago sends a vicious volley of blows towards his opponent, who can do nothing more than dodge for his life in

a decidedly one sided fight…"

Yep, completely unbiased.

* * *

Meanwhile up in the stands the crowd were cheering for their favorite fighter. Most were supporting the young Japanese guy, he was a local after all. There were some people though who were supporting the giant boxer (stupid glory hunters) and were hoping for a quick knockout. 

"Come on, hit him! Turn him into mush!"

Some more than others.

"…pound him so hard his children will squished into itty bitty pieces so small not even a sieve would hold them when you make mince meat of them!"

"Ryoko! Don't you think your overreacting just slightly?"

Ryoko rounded on Ayeka and GLARED. How dare she take his side! "That guy is a first class pervert, he deserves it. He managed to run from me before, but he isn't going to run from that guy. Oh he is going to be in so much pain, hahahahahaha!"

"Aren't you being a bit harsh Ryoko, I mean I chatted to him earlier and he seemed alright to me," said Tenchi, who was watching the fight from the stands to get a better view.

Ryoko stopped laughing hysterically and stared at him blankly. "You talked to him?"

"Well yeah, he's a nice guy. I really think you're being too hard on him, after all from what Ayeka said that incident earlier was an accident, right?"

Ryoko continued to stare blankly at Tenchi for a little while longer before turning back to the fight. _Well, at least she's calmed down_, thought Tenchi.

"HE'S CORRUPTED MY TENCHI, Pulverise him!"

or maybe not.

* * *

After a few minutes of dodging Ranma finally decided to fight back, slightly spurned on by Spletlava's completely unbiased commentary. A jab here, a kick there, all aimed in holes in Ivan's defence and while they weren't anywhere near his full strength, they were slowly sapping the bigger man's stamina with each hit. He didn't want to win the fight in one blow; that would've been boring. Besides, he wanted the Russian to know that fighting was about more than just brute force. Consider it his good deed for the day. 

There was also the fact that it was amusing as hell the way Ivan was getting more and more annoyed. The relentless number of blows Ivan was delivering was having an effect on the fight, despite none of them making contact with the intended target. Slowly but surely Ivan was getting more and more tired with the constant physical activity. His arms were starting to feel like lead, and his lungs were burning for much needed oxygen. No matter how much he hurt however, his pride would not let him rest until he had smashed the pig-tailed youth's head in.

As a result, Ivan Drago was getting more and more sloppy with his efforts.

"Arrgh! Stand still and fight me!" Ivan growled, his punches getting more and more desperate.

"Why should I? Its not my fault you're so slow," replied Ranma, casually dodging Ivan's follow up blows with the nudge of his own in the mix to throw him off balance.

"That's it boy, you die now!" he yelled as an extremely wild swing missed Ranma by a foot, without him even dodging. After the failed attempt at a punch, his momentum sent him staggering forwards panting for breath. He took a moment to catch his breath before turning towards Ranma, who to his dismay wasn't even breathing hard, and lethargically charging for an all out power blow which would hopefully end the fight.

Ranma decided to put the guy out of his misery. He pulled Ivan's overextended arm towards him to pull him off balance, and then hit the Russian with a reverse spin kick at his sternum. A hard one.

Ivan was totally surprised by the blow, and was completely unprepared for the force of it. All the air was forced out of his lungs, and if it wasn't for the grip Ranma had on his arm then he was sure that he would have been sent out of the arena. As it was his arm felt as if it had been torn out of his socket. He didn't think he'd been hit that hard, ever! And by such a small kid too, he didn't understand it.

He was still standing though; Ivan Drago wasn't going to be knocked out by one kick. Especially from this wimp.

He was, however, knocked out a second later by Ranma's next uppercut.

The silence was almost deafening; very few in the crowd had expected this to happen. The silence didn't last long though, as the realization that Ranma had knocked out the Russian giant sent a roar through the stadium. After all, one of their own had beaten a possible world champion.

Spletlava, however, wasn't cheering. She was simply frozen, staring disbelievingly at the scene. The fact that (her ticket to big bucks) champion fighter had been knocked out by a shrimpy little Japanese kid had not yet found its way to the conscious part of her mind. Which was why she didn't resist when the announcer smugly took the microphone out of her now limp hand and announced the winner as Ranma Nanashi.

* * *

"Yeah, nice one Ranma!" cheered Tenchi. 

Ryoko wasn't so happy. "Hmph, he was lucky."

"I disagree, he fought very well," said Katshuhito.

"Hmph."

"Oh will you stop sulking, it's embarrassing," said Washu.

"…I wanted the pervert beaten up…" sulked Ryoko

"I know you did, maybe it'll happen in the next fight," said Washu. That comment seemed to cheer Ryoko up quite a bit.

"Oh by the way," said Katshuhito, "aren't you forgetting something Tenchi?"

"Um no I don't think so…" it was at that moment that the next fight was announced, which just happened to involve a certain pigtailed, alien prince.

"Ack! I'm late!"

* * *

"Dinner's served!" 

At the Tendo Dojo everyone was gathered round the table, waiting for another one of Kasumi's master dishes. Nodoka had gotten back from her shopping and was helping Kasumi bring in the meal. Genma was thankfully clean and odor free, and was now chatting animatedly with Soun about the free drinks he had obtained earlier in the day.

Nabiki was sitting calmly to one side reading the financial pages with a look of concentration on her face. The main reason for doing so was that every time that she paused Nodoka would start examining the slight bruise on her forehead and start mothering on her, which quite frankly was embarrassing, especially with the nature of the wound in the first place.

Opposite her were a frustrated younger sister and a rather nervous fiancé-in-law.

Ryoga had turned up a little while after Nabiki's chat with P-chan, and had walked straight into Akane who had not been happy at his walking off earlier on. Nabiki hadn't actually seen any of this, but the bruises that Ryoga was now sporting were a big enough clue, Ranma had looked like that quite a few times.

Speaking of bruises, Nabiki was more than slightly embarrassed about hers. In hindsight, repeatedly head-butting a wall wasn't the best way to take out your frustrations. Apart from being painful, it was hard to hide the soreness it left behind. Eventually she had to tell Nodoka that she was fine and that she had fallen over accidentally when she was in her room, and she was more than slightly grateful when Kasumi had asked for Nodoka's help in the kitchen.

Thankfully her father hadn't noticed, otherwise the floorboards would have become waterlogged very quickly. Again.

Just then Kasumi entered the room carrying tonight's dinner, with Nodoka just behind her. Nabiki started eating her meal, waiting for the right time to act. She was going to get Ryoga for his deception; no one kept secrets like this from Nabiki Tendo for long and expected her to just ignore them. She was going to milk him for every penny he had, and then a few extra just for fun. She waited until most of the food had been consumed before beginning stage one of operation 'fleece Ryoga for everything he's got in a bid to both punish him and get him to own up to the truth'.

_Hmm…note to self, think of catchier code name, that one sucked_.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

"What is it Nabiki?" asked Mr. Tendo cautiously. Whenever Nabiki had an announcement it normally meant one of two things; either they had no money left, of he had to pay for something expensive and would therefore have no money left in the near future. Neither was something he was happy about.

"Well daddy, recently I've been thinking about some important issues that we haven't really thought about before, mainly the security of the family."

"What are you talking about? We're perfectly safe."

"Oh really, what about all the times Akane's gotten kidnapped. She wasn't exactly safe when Taro or Saffron took her was she?"

"Hey, you don't have to say it like it's a regular occurrence," protested Akane.

"The problem is that it is," said Nabiki.

"Twice is not all the time!"

"Actually its three, remember Picolet Chardin II?."

"Well three isn't that bad…" said Akane.

"No I lie, it's been four times. There was Moose as well, almost forgot about him. And then there was the time when…"

"Okay Nabiki, that's enough, we've concluded that Akane's been kidnapped a few times. Is there a point to what you have to say?" asked Nodoka. Akane huffed slightly at the way everyone was just assuming she was an easy person to kidnap. She was a martial artist damn it!

"Yes there is. After hearing of what happened with Saffron I came to the conclusion that it is very easy for an impostor to infiltrate our family simply by taking someone to Jusenkyo, drowning them in a pool, and then jumping in. Instant disguise."

"Don't you think your being a little…well paranoid dear?" said Nodoka worriedly.

"No" replied Nabiki curtly. "Anyway, that's not all. When Shampoo first turned up as a cat none of us knew that she was a real person, despite her obvious dislike of Akane. It took us ages to work out her real identity."

"So what?" asked Akane

"So, can you imagine someone, like say Happosai, finding the spring of drowned P-chan, Akane? What do you think he'd do then?" Seeing Akane's horrified face (and feeling slightly sorry for Ryoga when she found out the truth) she continued. "Exactly. In the wrong hands Jusenkyo curses can be very dangerous, just look at Taro."

"I still say there's nothing to worry about," said Akane after gathering herself together from the horrible image of P-chan with Happosai's face in her panty draw. "I won't let anyone do anything like what Kiima did to me again!"

"And neither will I. I've come up with a plan to discover if there are any impostors among us."

"And that is…?" asked Ryoga nervously. This was getting into dangerous territory as far as he was concerned.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked Ryo-chan," said Nabiki as she pulled out a rather large water pistol and pointed it at Ryoga. "It's a rather simple plan that involves nothing more than…"

SPLASH

"…random splashes of water."

Ryoga was very close to going into full-scale panic as he lay there completely soaked. It had happened far too quickly for him to react, and had simply no other option than to let the water him. He was a gonner, that was for sure. Akane and the rest of the Tendos were going to see his curse activate, put two and two together, and cream his arse into the ground. While Mr Sa… his father already knew, Mr. Tendo didn't and would therefore kill him for hurting his little girl and Nabiki would ruin him for life. But Akane would be the worst, she was going to go nuclear on him. Goodbye life without liquefied food. Actually he was surprised that he wasn't already being beaten black and blue.

That was when he realized he was still fully human.

"… …" said Ryoga.

"Nabiki! What the hell did you do that for?" yelled Akane.

"Yes Nabiki, I think you owe us an explanation," said Soun, a large sweat drop falling from his head. Meanwhile Genma was planning ways to 'acquire' Nabiki's water pistol full of what was obviously a cure. At last, bye bye panda man!

Nabiki put her water pistol down before turning to the family. "Like I said its simple. If Ryoga was an impostor then warm water would change him back into his true form."

"**Warm** water?" asked Genma tentatively. Damn.

Ryoga nearly melted in his relief. He was sure he was dead there.

"Well yes, obviously he's not an impostor otherwise he'd change back, unless he locked his curse in which case there would be no way of telling anyway," said Nabiki.

"Well I have to say it seems to be a very good plan Nabiki, but in the future could you please not do so at the dinner table, its terribly impolite," said Nodoka.

"Okay auntie, but I haven't told you about phase two yet."

Ryoga froze at that, while Nodoka simply asked, "Phase two dear?"

"Oh yes, while hot water will find impostors it won't help us in all situations. If Happosai had a curse, for example, then we'd never know."

"So what's the plan?" asked Akane.

"Oh that's easy, I'll just use this one," said Nabiki as she picked up another water pistol.

"And what's that?" asked Akane.

"Nothing fancy, just cold water. This'll find anyone with a curse soon enough," said Nabiki, making her point by hitting Genma with a burst of water, instantly Panda-fying him.

"Please not at the table," complained Nodoka.

"Sorry auntie."

_Oh god, I'm dead!_ thought Ryoga

Soun and Genma shared a glance that spoke a thousand words. They couldn't let Nabiki carry out this plan; the future of the schools was at jeopardy! "Umm, daughter don't you think that's a bit excessive? Is there really any need to constantly soak people just because of a perceived threat?" said Soun, trying to play the part of the stern, all knowing parent.

Unfortunately Nabiki wasn't buying it. "It's hardly a perceived threat is it? I mean its happened before."

"Yes, but…" faltered Soun.

"And there's nothing to say that it won't happen again."

"No, but…"

"Daddy, do you take the safety of your family seriously?

"Of course I do!"

"You wouldn't object to safety measures simply because they're a bit inconvenient would you?

"Well, no…"

"Or maybe you don't care about our safety, maybe you wouldn't mind if, no **when** this happens again."

"Of course I do…" cried Soun, aghast.

"We could we be raped, tortured, or simply killed, do you want that to happen to us?" continued Nabiki. Meanwhile Genma had reached over to the kettle and changed himself back into his uncursed form.

"No!"

"Well under normal circumstances I wouldn't bother with all of this, however recent events have shown that these sort of measures are necessary for our protection. Who knows what will happen in the future. Do you think this is wrong of me?"

"No!" wailed Soun tearfully, instantly turning Genma back into a panda.

"So you think that using any means to prevent any family casualties would be a good idea?" Nabiki asked sweetly.

"Yes!"

"And it's ok if I carry out this plan then is it?"

"Yes!"

"Good, well I'm going upstairs now for some refills. Thank you for dinner, it was excellent," said Nabiki as she got up from the table.

Genma-panda watching what happened to his old friend after 'taking charge' against his daughter and shook his head in embarrassment.

Pathetic

* * *

"…Would mister Masaki please make his way into the ring so that the fight may commence? Failure to arrive in two minutes will result in automatic disqualification," said the announcer. The kid had better get here, he had a schedule to keep after all. 

Similar thoughts were occurring inside the marquee. "Come on Tenchi, where on earth are you?" asked Ranma out loud, feeling slightly anxious for the other pig-tailed youth.

"No idea, but if he doesn't turn up soon one of us will be fighting that Daikoku girl," came a voice to his left. It turned out that it was a familiar looking blond girl, though he couldn't remember her name for the life of him.

"Yeah, he doesn't deserve to go out like that, he's too good. Oh, by the way, I'm Ranma Nanashi," said Ranma.

"I know, I'm Sakura, Sakura Ogota."

"Oh yeah, you beat Goliath didn't ya? That was a hell of a punch by the way."

"Oh it was nothing," she said, blushing slightly at the praise. "He was asking for it. I mean who would call themselves something as stupid as the 'Man Mountain' Goliath anyway?"

Ranma thought of several people in an instant, but couldn't be bothered to share them with his companion.

"Anyway," continued Sakura, "he better get his butt down here fast."

"Yeah, why's that?" asked Ranma, curious why Sakura cared so much about Tenchi.

"Well, I want a better idea of what to expect when I get to the final."

"You're pretty confident aint ya, you've still got to beat me first," said Ranma confidently.

Sakura leaned over and patted him on the shoulder in a way similar to someone letting a child believe that they really DID see Santa Claus climb down from the chimney just to let them feel better. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Suddenly there was a blue and black blur trailing smoke ran directly between the two fighters, the shockwaves sending the two stumbling back several feet.

"I'm coming, wait for me!"

Hang on, he knew that voice. "Oh good, he's here," said a relieved Ranma.

"Who's here?" asked Sakura, still slightly dazed from the near miss.

"Tenchi, of course."

* * *

"You're late," said the announcer disapprovingly. 

"Yeah, sorry about that," panted Tenchi as he tried to get his breath back.

The announcer gave him a small glare before turning away. "No real harm done, but if you had turned up any later then you'd have been disqualified." He then faced the audience and started introducing the first semi-final.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen,…." 

After recovering from his all out sprint to the fight, Tenchi assumed a defensive stance straight away, as he was completely unsure how he was supposed to take the fight. Ranma had mentioned that his opponent fought using a style called 'Martial arts Take out', whatever that was, and as such had no idea what Kaori was going to do. He knew that she tended to use chopsticks as weapons, and that she carried a take out box with her, but her previous fights had ended too quickly for him to learn much more than that. He hoped that starting out on the defensive would give him a better idea of her style, as well as to prepare himself for any surprises she may use on him.

Glancing at Kaori he could only glance dumbly at her stance. She was crouching down on the arena floor; one hand on the take out box while the other was resting on the ground. Her attention didn't seem to be on the fight, but on the floor directly in front of her. It didn't seem very stable, so maybe he could take advantage of that and get an early strike in. Hopefully he could end the fight almost as it started. Deciding to take that course of action he subtly changed his stance to allow him a quicker attack.

Seeing that both fighters were ready, the announcer spoke into the microphone.

"Okay, lets get this semi-final started! Ready…FIGHT!"

Tenchi instantly darted towards his opponent, bokken raised, ready to deal some punishment on his opponent. He soon came into range and initiated a horizontal sweep, which if it connected would have taken the girls kneecaps off.

However, by the time Tenchi's bokken came anywhere near her position Kaori was already in the air calling out her attack.

"Daikoku School of martial arts special technique; Fish sausage blizzard!"

Tenchi's thoughts didn't get much further than _fish-what?_ before he was assaulted with a vast amount of food. The small pieces of fish weren't really enough to knock him off balance, but the sheer number of them was starting to affect his vision, especially as they started slapping into his face and eyes. He was forced to turn his attention to blocking Kaori's unusual attack.

This left him open to her follow up attack, which turned out to be a vicious roundhouse kick in the face. The impact sent Tenchi sliding along the arena floor on his back, leaving him slightly scuffed up and bruised.

Peeling the remaining pieces of fish sausage of his face, Tenchi took up a more defensive stance and took another look at his opponent. She was fast, and she was using unusual techniques to good effect. Time to be a bit more cautious then.

As if sensing Tenchi's hesitation, Kaori smiled and went on the attack.

"Daikoku school of martial arts; its fast or its free!" she shouted, running towards Tenchi. When she was in range she attacked with the pair of chopsticks in her right hand.

Tenchi was prepared for a lot of things, and had already seen her use these eating implements as a weapon in earlier bouts. He was not however prepared for the sheer speed that she attacked at, almost too fast for him to see. The first few blows had connected before he could react. He wasn't very familiar with pressure points, but he had learned enough from his grandfather to know what they were, and he knew that must be the reason his arm was feeling numb the instant the attack got through his guard. The following strikes were frantically blocked by Tenchi's bokken in a desperate attempt to avoid taking anymore damage.

This carried on for about twenty seconds, Kaori trying to get past Tenchi's guard and Tenchi doing everything he could to thwart her attempts. Kaori couldn't keep her speed attack up forever though, and Tenchi was able to see a small gap in her defenses. Taking advantage of her slower speed, Tenchi used a disarming maneuver to remove the chopsticks from Kaori's grasp. Surprised at losing her weapon so suddenly, Kaori attempted to leap back out of range and regroup, but was caught in the side by Tenchi's follow up attack before she could do so.

Now that he had some room to breathe Tenchi examined his left arm. As he had thought it was almost useless, having only enough strength to form a feeble grip on his bokken. He could feel some strength come back to it slowly, but in the meantime he was going to have to fight one-handed.

Meanwhile Kaori was also taking the time to recover. She was breathing hard from the exertion required to execute her speed technique for so long, but it was the pain in her side that was really making her pause for thought. Tenchi had caught her just under the rib cage, and it was making breathing difficult, as well as hindering any extravagant movement. If she allowed her opponent to recover enough to attack her then she wasn't sure she could defend herself well enough in her current condition. She was going to have to end the fight quickly.

"You're better than I thought," said Kaori, "I didn't want to use this until the final, but you've forced me to use the ultimate technique of the Daikoku school of martial arts take out; Ramen roundup noodle noose!"

Tenchi didn't have time to react as Kaori opened her take out box, grabbed some noodles with a new pair of chopsticks and throw them towards Tenchi. The noodles wrapped around his neck, and as Tenchi tried to pry them off him they got tighter and tighter, suffocating him.

"Ha ha ha," laughed Kaori, "The Ramen Roundup Noodle Noose is most lethal attack of the Daikoku school of martial arts. Just like the coils of a deadly snake the ramen noodles close tighter and tighter, the more you fight the tighter they become. Surrender, it's over!"

There were gasps from Tenchi's supporters, as well as from Tenchi himself who was frantically trying to breath. The effort was failing however, as the ramen was indeed tightening due to Tenchi's struggles. If he didn't think of something fast, then the fight would be lost.

"I'll let go if you give up," said Kaori, supremely confident that she couldn't lose now.

Tenchi wasn't going to let it end like this. His grandfather had spent a lot of time getting him prepared for this tournament, and the girls were counting on him. He simply couldn't lose without giving it his all.

It had taken a supreme effort to not let go of his bokken, despite the lack of oxygen in his lungs, and now he was glad that he hadn't. Frankly he was embarrassed he hadn't tried using it earlier, it was such obvious an obvious tactic to employ. With a swing he cut through the noodles attached to his neck, ending Kaori's hold on him.

Tenchi used the time that Kaori was sent off balance to desperately get some air back into his lungs. Panting he faced Kaori and took a defensive stance before she could take advantage of his inattention. His body was shaking from its recent exertions, and he was feeling more than slightly faint, but he was still in the fight.

Kaori meanwhile was slightly impressed. Only one person had managed to remove themselves from her 'Ramen Roundup Noodle Noose', and she had help. This fight was turning out to be a far greater workout than she had thought previously, this guy was good with that bokken of his. She winced as the pain in her side let itself be known. _Yeah, damn good, that hurts!_ She should do something about that.

"You know, that thing is entirely too annoying," said Kaori as she sent another 'Ramen Roundup Noodle Noose' at Tenchi. This time however it wasn't aimed at the young man's throat, but at his weapon. As the noodles griped the boken Kaori gave a hard tug and tried to remove the practice sword from her opponents grasp. Tenchi however was equal to the task, and refused to let go.

It quickly turned into a stalemate; both Kaori and Tenchi were pulling hard against each other in a tug of war; with Kaori trying to disarm Tenchi, while Tenchi was refusing to let go of his weapon. To Tenchi's despair however Kaori was slowly but surely managing to pull Tenchi over to her, with Tenchi unable to resist. He was still weakened from being suffocated earlier, and his grip on the bokken was starting to falter. At this rate Kaori was going to disarm him and then he would lose the fight. He wasn't useless at hand to hand combat, but he doubted he was in his opponent's league. If he lost his bokken then he was effectively defenseless.

Unless…a plan suddenly came into his mind that might just be able to give him the victory. It was risky, but if this worked then the fight would be his. If he failed then the fight would be over, but at this rate that looked to be happening anyway. He didn't really have anything to lose.

Deciding to go for broke, Tenchi let go of his boken and charged.

Unexpectedly finding herself pulling against nothing, Kaori was forced to take a couple of backward steps to prevent herself from falling over, coming perilously close to the edge of the arena. This was what Tenchi was looking for, and while Kaori was still off balance he slammed shoulder into her torso. Before she knew what was going on she was plummeting out of the ring.

The announcer took one look at the young girl lying on the grass and decided that the fight was over. "The winner of the first semi-final is TENCHI MASAKI!"

* * *

"Yes! Nice one Tenchi!" said Kiyone triumphantly. 

"Yay, Tenchi's in the final," cheered Sasami.

"Who would have expected anything else, right Ryoko?" said Ayeka, only to find the person she was speaking too absent. "Umm Ryoko…."

Now where had she run off to now?

* * *

Sakura wasn't entirely sure she had seen what she thought she saw. Alright, so she knew that there were some strange martial art styles out there, indeed if she was pressed she would admit that hers was one of them, but this was just too strange. 

"Nice fight. I've never seen Kaori in a proper match before."

Sakura slowly turned to face Ranma. "Please tell me that she wasn't using noodles and fish sausage in tournament fight was she?"

Ranma blinked at her "Well yeah, what else so you think a practitioner of Anything Goes Take Out would use?"

Sakura was about to answer when Ranma's comment registered in her mind. "Oh yeah…of course."

RIIIIIIIP

The two teens were startled when the marquee's fabric doors were torn down violently by a tall, cyan-haired woman, who looked around sharply until she spotted one of the pigtailed young men she had been looking for. The first one would have been the crown prince of Jurai, grandson of a Shinto priest and the love of her life.

The other was going to get the living shit kicked out of him.

"Ranma," yelled Ryoko, "PREPARE TO DIE!"

* * *

Authors Notes 

Yes, I've updated. Yes, it took me a long time. And yes I still haven't finished the tournament.

So sue me.

Seriously, I'm sorry that this took so long. The main reason is that I'm really starting to get fed up of trying to invent original, entertaining fight scenes. I'm just finding it really hard. I do have a bit of a confession to make, I've basically had the whole of this chapter minus the last paragraph ready for two months, but I couldn't think of a good ending for it. I had Tenchi and Ranma talking to each other about some nonsense, just a filler really, and it was both boring and unnecessary, so I got fed up and just let Ryoko attack Ranma instead. It probably makes for a better ending.

Oh, and Mr. Tendo DOES know about Ryoga being P-chan, Ryoga's just dumb and thinks he doesn't.

For those of you who keep emailing me telling me to get on with writing this, thanks. It's nice to know people want me to continue this. I also plan to keep on writing this for a long while, so if it's been a while before I update don't be worried, I will update. If I ever do decide to pack it all in I'll tell you so.

Anyway, hope you like the chapter, and keep sending those reviews in!


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